


When Mothers Meddle

by CalliopesKissingStories



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, No Uchiha Massacre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 37,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27714443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalliopesKissingStories/pseuds/CalliopesKissingStories
Summary: Itachi and Sakura both have busy lives, and plans for their futures. Unfortunately, Tsunade and Mikoto do as well. When the two women connive to get them together they never imagine the uproar it will cause. Will Sakura and Itachi's love be able to overcome tradition?This is an AU romance. I've made up some side characters because, well, I needed them. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.Also, I'm accustomed to having an editor work with me, so please forgive any grammar or spelling errors. I didn't spend any money on editing this piece.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi
Comments: 23
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn’t often that Itachi Uchiha was allowed to sleep past sunrise and he relished the warmth of the sunshine on his face as it streamed through the window before he had to throw back the covers and face the day. And his mother.

Their breakfast date was the reason he’d gotten to sleep in and he wasn’t sure that was a good thing. Clan business occasionally trumped ANBU work and, it seemed, today was one of those days.

His mother was a gentle, pleasant woman to spend time with. Since Fugaku had died in the failed Uchiha coup Mikoto had taken over clan duties with Uncle Daisuke, her brother and Shisui's father, until such time as Itachi could take leadership himself. Itachi suspected that’s what they wanted to talk about today.

And that was what worried him.

He’d been thirteen when the coup had failed, not nearly old enough to fill his father’s shoes. The minimum age for a clan leader, according to the by-laws, was twenty-five.

Unfortunately, being twenty-five wasn’t the only requirement. And that was what had kept him up late into the night as he speculated what his mother and uncle had planned for him.

He had plans for his life. He has a successful career in the ANBU and he wanted to take a bigger role in the village leadership. He wanted to be a jonin leader, something his ANBU work made impossible. And he wanted to join Akane Morino, Ibiki’s younger sister as she worked with the Foundation members who had stayed when Danzo fled the village. Since the members, previously under Danzo's control, had figured out how to break their curse marks, they'd turned out to be some of the bravest shinobi he’d ever met. He dreamed of creating a bipartisan force made up of Sharingan users and Foundation members. With his leadership they’d be unstoppable.

Unfortunately, his mother’s complaints would be unstoppable too, if he was late. With that thought in mind he slipped on his flack vest and headed for the door. He’d be going right to work when breakfast was done.

He hoped.

* * *

“You’re early to work, Sakura-san.”

“Good morning Hanako. I need to finish early today. I have a luncheon I have to attend.” Sakura smiled at the pretty redhead who answered phones and greeted people for the hospital.

Sakura had seen Hanako being yelled and sworn at while she sat quietly explaining the rules of the hospital. Only once had Sakura seen an officer from the Konoha police force have to step in and take an abusive patron away in chakra cuffs. She imagined the sweet woman got the same treatment on the phone and yet she never let it change the way she treated the next person.

“No rest for the weary, right Sakura-san?” She grinned back at her and winked. “Don’t get so wrapped up in files that you forget to drink your coffee while it’s warm. Who’s the luncheon with?”

“Mikoto Uchiha and Lady Tsunade have their monthly meeting today. Tsunade asked me to attend.” Sakura adjusted the files she was holding, balancing her coffee on the counter between them.

A ringing phone drew Hanako’s attention. She winked at Sakura as she picked reached for it. “Have a good day!”

Sakura waved over her shoulder as she headed for her office. First she’d do rounds and then she’d work on the files, and then she'd worry about the luncheon. But by the time she reached her office, she was lost in thought wondering what reason Tsunade could have for including her in today's luncheon.

Sakura and her mentor had discussed ways they could integrate the Uchiha clan and the village more. Based on her own interaction with some of her Uchiha patients she didn’t think the Uchiha’s were ready. She was likely to be close to Tsunade's age before they let go of their concerns of inferiority. Especially if her former teammate Sasuke was any indication.

She’d been relieved when he’d left team seven to train under Shisui at the Police Force. He’d make an excellent chief, but he was a horrible teammate. In his opinion, if you weren’t an Uchiha you weren’t worth his time.

Tsunade thought they should form a team that consisted of moderate Uchiha’s and Foundation members. The combination of talents would make them a force to be reckoned with, if it worked. Tsunade wanted her to lead the team. She’d be able to train and travel with them, thanks to her excellent shinobi skills, and she’d be able to heal them in the very likely event they were injured.

The thing was, Sakura didn’t want to lead up a team of stuffy Uchiha and emotionless Foundation members. She wanted a career and a life that didn’t involve living in the shadows and going on missions with the most stuck up ninja in the village.

* * *

Itachi arrived at his mother’s house ten minutes before he was due and made his way into the kitchen.

“Good morning mother.”

“Itachi, How are you?” She passed him on her way to the dining room with two covered dishes in her hands. “Would you grab that plate of rice balls?”

He did as requested and followed her. “I’m well. How are you?”

“Good morning Itachi!” Uncle Daisuke sat at the table waiting. “You’re late.”

“I am perfectly on time Uncle.” Itachi replied through thin lips.

“You once told me you considered yourself late if you arrived less than fifteen minutes before you were due.” Daisuke chuckled at the withering look Itachi sent him.

“I was ten, and I had all the time in the world.”

“And now you’re twenty-five and it’s first thing in the morning. Tell me what does Itachi Uchiha do before breakfast?” Daisuke stroked his chin and waited until Mikoto has disappeared through the kitchen door. “Does it involve a girl?”

Itachi gazed at his uncle in stony silence, relieved when his mother returned quickly.

“I’m sure if he had a girl over last night, Daisuke, he wouldn’t tell you about her.” Mikoto set a tray down with three pots of tea on it. “There, I think that’s everything.”

“Please sit down Mother.” Itachi loved and respected his mother, but he also knew her penchant for being involved in her son’s lives and he didn’t trust her motives this morning. He wanted to get this over with and get to work.

Mikoto sat down in her seat and pulled her teapot towards her. “I’ll let you pour your own tea.”

Itachi poured and then sipped his tea silently while waiting to hear what his mother and uncle had to say.

“I must say, Mikoto, you make the best breakfast.” Daisuke served himself eggs, rice balls and a bit of fish before leaning back and waiting for them to do the same. It wasn’t until Itachi had a mouthful of his mothers delicious rice ball that he spoke again. “Itachi, you know why you’re here. Right?”

Itachi looked from Daisuke to his mother. He’d missed his mother’s cooking since moving out and the mouthful he had showed it. He suspected he knew why they wanted to talk with him and he’d play along until he figured it out. Unwilling to speak with food in his mouth he nodded at his uncle.

“Good.” Daisuke looked at Mikoto. “Your mother and I aren’t getting any younger and we’d both like to enjoy our retirement, while we still can.”

Itachi swallowed the rice in his mouth, grimacing at the cramp in his throat. “You want to retire?”

“Of course we do.” Mikoto passed him the plate of rice balls indicating he should have another and pass it to Daisuke.

“But,” Itachi thought carefully before he spoke, he was the smartest ninja at the table which said a lot because both his mother and his uncle had graduated at the tops of their classes, “you don’t work.”

“Well, not formally,” Daisuke waved off the rice balls.

“We do work, Itachi.” Mikoto spoke, her quiet voice heavy with meaning.

He wished he could take his words back. It was clear his mother and uncle were going to turn them against him.

“We work very hard to lead this clan. You don’t think counsel meetings and integration plans just work themselves out, do you?” Daisuke was no longer grinning.

Itachi was sure the fish in his mouth had a bone in it and was pricking him in the cheek. If he was lucky he’d choke on it before he had to speak.

“And the seasonal clan events, and festivals? Who do you think organizes them?” His mother pointed her chopsticks at him, an error he chose not to point out.

“The-- organizers?” His answer was weak, but if he was being honest he didn’t think much about the running of the clan. It didn’t involve him and he didn’t really want it to. It would fall to him eventually but he preferred not to think about that.

The Hokage and he had spoken about the leadership of the Uchiha Clan. She was unwilling to accept anyone besides him. She’d hedged a bit when he suggested Shisui, but then pointed out he had a conflict of interest because he was Chief of Police until Sasuke took over. He’d said that Shisui’s role with the police force wouldn’t last forever and his father had filled both roles. Her reply had been to look where that had gotten the Uchiha’s. That had silenced him.

He was it.

Lady Tsunade wanted a moderate, peaceful Uchiha as Clan leader and the Clan wanted Itachi. Dreams of his Elite Special force faded from his mind. “But I have my career.”

“Which you can still manage while you run the Clan,” his Mother said.

“You, yourself, said it wasn’t work anyway.” Daisuke eyed him over the rim of his teacup, daring him to argue.

Itachi understood how the criminals he and his team hunted down felt, but he was determined not to beg for mercy. There had to be a way out. “There are other requirements for being Clan leader besides being twenty-five.”

“Yes,” Daisuke lowered his already deep, rich voice, “I know there are.”

Itachi faded under the pressure of the skilled shinobi, at least they hadn’t threatened him with their sharingan’s, yet. That meeting had been a nightmare.

“I know you don’t feel ready, but it’s like missions. If you wait until you feel ready, you’ll never do it.” His mother folded her napkin and put it on the table. “I’m meeting with Tsunade today for lunch and I want to tell her you’re going to start preparing to take over.”

“You’re meeting with Tsunade?” Itachi wrinkled his brow.

“Itachi,” Mikoto softened her tone as she might with a child she was teaching, “I meet with her every month. It’s my duty as an Uchiha Clan leader to keep her up to date on our plans and happenings.”

He was supposed to know this? He spent three or four days a week on mission, one writing out reports about those missions and the other days training and planning the next mission. He was renowned in the ANBU unit for rarely taking a day off and still having time to relax with friends. And somehow he was supposed to know his mother’s appointment schedule? “Of course, I didn’t realize it was that time so soon. Didn’t you just meet with her?”

Mikoto smiled gently at him. “So, you do pay attention. Yes, I met with her just last week to discuss my upcoming birthday party.”

He sat back, pleased that he had bluffed that. He needed to pay better attention at the Clan meetings from now on.

“The other requirements are not hard to meet.” Daisuke interrupted them.

“So what do you tell her at these meetings, mother?” Itachi poured the last of his tea into his cup and leaned back, turning his full attention to her.

“The highlights of our clan meetings, planned events, that sort of thing. Because the focus is on integration now more than ever we want to be sure that other Konoha residents feel welcome at our festivals.” She clasped her hands together and smiled broadly. “And today I’m getting to meet her student, Sakura.”

Sakura, Itachi rolled the name around in his mind. She was the Hokage’s student, brilliant, if you listened to the rumors. She was also Sasuke’s former teammate. Sasuke had never talked about her and Itachi had never met her though he’d been intrigued by the flashes of pink hair in the hallways at Hokage Tower.

“Don’t let him change the subject.” Daisuke wagged his finger at his younger sister. “I have my own meeting to get to and if we don’t finish up I’ll be late.”

Itachi turned his attention back to his uncle. “The requirements for being Clan leader are;” he repeated them from memory while he stared him in the eye, “be twenty-five years old, have activated and used the sharingan, be an accomplished ninja who has served in the village and the clan…”

“And be married.” Daisuke nodded. “I see your memory still works well.”

“And you’ve done all of those, but one.” Mikoto looked at him with soft eyes.

He looked away, he wasn’t going to be taken in by her. “I don’t see the problem then.”

“Itachi!” Daisuke stood from his seat and tossed his napkin on the table. “You need to find a wife!”

* * *

Sakura ran from the hospital to Hokage tower, if she was late for lunch and embarrassed Tsunade she’d get extra duty or extra training for sure. She didn’t know which would be worse. She already worked full time at the hospital, when Tsunade didn’t have her assigned to a mission. She rarely even got time off to recover when she got home.

At the stairs she bumped into a man who turned and steadied her. His warm hand brushed against her arm as he caught her elbow. “Careful.” His gentle voice washed over her, bringing a smile to her face.

“I’m so sorry!” She glanced at him apologetically as she vaulted up the steps, realizing too late that it was Sasuke’s older brother, Itachi. His polite attitude and gentle manner had thrown her off. In her experience most Uchiha would step aside and let you fall, unless you were another Uchiha.

That’s what Sasuke had done. They’d been running through the forest when they’d come upon a cliff. He’d seen it, but hadn’t bothered to warn her or Naruto. They’d both tumbled several hundred feet before they’d managed to break their falls. It had taken her an hour to heal herself and Naruto. And several days to stop fuming at Sasuke for the incident.

When she arrived at the Hokage’s door, she paused to catch her breath and clear her mind. The only thing she needed to focus on was the upcoming meeting and what her role was meant to be. When she opened the door, the cliff fall and bumping into Itachi Uchiha were all but forgotten.

“Milady?” Sakura pushed the door open. A table had been moved into the office and several people scurried around it. Lady Tsunade sat at her desk, concentrating on a scroll. Sakura approached the desk and waited quietly.

“No need to be quiet, Sakura, I can’t focus with them here.” Tsunade jerked her head towards the people setting the table. “I hope sake is being served with lunch today.”

Sakura withheld her smile. Shizune had planned the meal and it was unlikely she’d serve sake at such an important function midday.

Tsunade straightened her desk. “Mikoto and I have been friends since I can’t remember when, but Shizune always makes such a big deal out of this luncheon.”

“Well, it is village business, Milady.”

“Yes, I know. Listen, I want you be a part of this meeting, but you don’t need to say anything. Just listen and learn. Someday you might be Hokage, and you’ll need to know how to conduct a formal meeting.”

The thought of being Hokage made Sakura wish that sake would be served with lunch. She liked her simple life. She worked at the hospital, she went on missions and healed ninja, and she hung out with the girls. No confusion, no ceremony, no problem. “Yes, Milady.”

Mikoto arrived with Uchiha precision, the moment the table was ready.

While they ate, Mikoto spoke about the clan events that had happened in the past month, marriages, births, deaths, and engagements. Two Uchiha men had proposed this month, one to another Uchiha girl and one to a village girl. The clan wasn’t happy about the village girl marrying into them but Mikoto and Daisuke had held their ground and given the couple the Clan Blessing. Sakura was glad she’d never dated an Uchiha man, it seemed complicated. 

“Excuse me, Uchiha-san. May I ask a question?” Sakura eyed Lady Tsunade to be sure it was okay with her as well.

“Of course.” Mikoto smiled warmly at her. “I love your choice of student, Tsunade. I’d heard she was smart and strong, but I had no idea she was so beautiful too.”

Sakura blushed under the praise. “Is it possible for the clan to prevent a marriage they don’t approve of?”

Mikoto sat back and sipped her tea while she thought. “Years ago, they did prevent marriages. No Uchiha was allowed to marry outside the clan when I was child. As I grew they relaxed the rules a bit. When I married Fugaku I knew I was not his choice of wife, but he was clan leader and Chief of Police. He had to marry an Uchiha woman.”

“I see.” Sakura had often wished she had a clan to belong to. Ino was a Yamanaka, Shikamaru was a Nara, and Hinata was a Hyuga. They might not always appreciate it, but it meant they belonged somewhere and they had a history. She was Sakura Haruno, no clan, no history, no belonging. It didn’t bother her now, but she had longed for it when she was young. “And now? Would the Clan try to prevent someone’s marriage?”

“Sakura, do you have your eye on an Uchiha?” Tsunade teased her.

“Oh, no! I was just trying to understand Clan politics.”

“Like a good student,” Mikoto nodded at her. “The clan might try to prevent the marriage of a few powerful Uchiha, but they’d have to get Daisuke and I to actually stop it and I don’t see that happening except under the most extreme circumstances.”

Sakura was very sure now that she didn’t want to be part of any clan if they could run your life like that. Especially the Uchiha Clan. Mikoto was kind enough but the time she’d spent on team seven with Sasuke, and treating injured Uchiha had taught her that Mikoto was the exception. She’d only ever met a single Uchiha who didn’t have his picture next to the words surly, withdrawn, and arrogant in the dictionary. Shisui had been kind, sweet and even a bit flirtatious with the nurses when she’d had to heal his broken hand. He was the exception and there was only ever one exception to the rule.

Though her run in with Itachi today might indicate a second exception. She’d never treated him so she didn’t know anything about him.

His warm voice echoed in her mind and the memory of his hand, strong and gentle as he’d steadied her. She smirked behind her hand, he was one Uchiha she wouldn’t mind treating.

“You’ll join us this year, won’t you?” Mikoto’s invitation startled Sakura out of her thoughts.

She looked from one to the other, afraid to admit to either of them that her mind had been wandering. “Of course I will. Thank you for the invitation, Uchiha-san.”

“Please, call me Mikoto.” The woman’s eyes twinkled at her making Sakura wonder what she’d agreed to. She sighed inwardly, resigned to accept whatever it was. It wasn’t as if Mikoto would set her up with an Uchiha, right?


	2. The Party

Itachi smoothed his yukata down with his hands. He’d spent hours ironing it and it still had wrinkles. How was it the most talented ninja in his family couldn’t operate an iron? Today was his mother’s birthday party and she’d requested he come dressed in his clan formal wear. He hoped she wouldn’t criticize him for it’s condition. 

All the Clan leaders and elders celebrated their birthday’s publicly. He’d walked past the men and women setting up booths yesterday, and this morning, on his way to the training fields. They’d strung lights and set up a stage for a band so he guessed it would be a formal event. It was no matter. He hadn’t been told to have a date, so he assumed he’d be escorting his mother for the evening.

One final look in the mirror and he set off for whatever torture his mother had planned for her sons this year. People who thought being in ANBU was difficult should try being the heir to the Uchiha Clan and Mikoto’s son. 

_________________________________________________________

Sakura turned and looked over her shoulder. Pink waves rested on the shoulders of her yukata contrasting against the red and blending in with the cherry blossoms. Her hair had gotten a bit long, she’d been meaning to get a trim and hadn’t found the time.

Fortunately, Tsunade had filled her in on what she’d missed. She was invited to Mikoto-san’s birthday party, as Mikoto’s special guest. She had no idea what that meant, other than it was a very high honor and likely would anger more than a few Uchiha women for being left out. 

As she applied her makeup she wondered what the party would be like. She hadn’t attended many Uchiha functions, partly to avoid Sasuke and partly because she was busy between her hospital work and Tsunade’s training. Tonight would be a welcome reprieve for her. Mikoto seemed kind enough and she hadn’t even had the bother of finding an escort like she had when she attended Neji’s birthday. Now that Naruto was engaged to Hinata she couldn’t rely on him. And she certainly wasn’t going to ask Sai or Kakashi. 

It struck her as odd that the Uchiha’s were less formal about expecting escorts than the Hyuga’s. But she dismissed it, attributing it to Mikoto’s desire to create a more moderate attitude within the clan. Out with the old and in with the new. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Itachi met his mother on the porch of her home. She was stunning in her Uchiha yukata, navy blue with a red obi. Her geta sandals, trimmed in silver, waited at the steps. 

“Good evening mother. Happy birthday.” He held his arm out to her expecting her to loop hers into it. As a widow, her eldest son would escort her at the formal party. He’d be her constant companion all evening, sitting with her, dancing with her and making sure she didn’t want for anything. 

“Good evening Itachi.” Mikoto tipped up on her toes and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Thank you, but you won’t be escorting me tonight. Sasuke will.”

Itachi wrinkled his brow, stunned by her words. “Mother?”

“Sakura! I’m delighted you could join us!” Mikoto greeted Sakura warmly with a hug. “I’ve been so excited to introduce Tsunade’s apprentice to the clan.”

“Thank you Mikoto.” Sakura smiled sweetly at Mikoto as she returned her greeting. 

She really was a beautiful kunoichi. Itachi admired her as she exchanged greetings and small talk with his mother. Why hadn’t his brother ever spoken of her? Itachi smirked, looking over his shoulder to hide it from his mother, because the answer was easy. Beautiful or not, she wasn’t an Uchiha. 

Mikoto wrapped Sakura’s arm in hers and pulled her gently to where Itachi stood. They seemed very friendly and that confused him. When had his mother and the Hokage’s assistant met and become friends? And why had she invited her as her special guest? A nervous feeling crept up his spine, the sort of feeling you get when you know your cover has been blown, or you think you’re being watched. 

“Itachi, you’re at hokage tower all the time. Have you had the pleasure of meeting Tsunade’s prodigy?”

Realization began to dawn on Itachi. He resisted the urge to narrow his eyes at his mother. “I haven’t mother. We both work very busy jobs and rarely run into each other.” It wasn’t entirely true. Sakura had sat in on several meetings lately and he’d observed her quietly from his place at the table. And just last week she’d bumped into him, literally. He’d prevented her from twisting her ankle on the bottom step of the stairs. That moment of contact, as his hand had caught her elbow and their eyes had met, had haunted him all day. She’d smiled at him as if the sun had come out from behind a cloud. 

“Well, I’ve invited her as my guest and I’d like you to be her escort tonight.”

Now Itachi did narrow his eyes. “It would be my honor.” With a deep breath, he smiled at Sakura and offered his arm. She smiled a stiffly back at him. It wasn’t as bright as her smile a few days ago and he felt his heart squeeze. She was as surprised as he was. At least he wasn’t being ganged up on.

“Excellent!” Mikoto beamed as if she’d just won the lottery, reigniting his suspicion that she was up to something. “Sakura, Itachi will see to your every need tonight. I didn’t want you to feel overwhelmed at your first formal Uchiha function, and who better to guide you than the future Clan leader?”

Itachi hid the twitch in his eye. Now, there was no doubt in his mind what she, and probably his uncle too, were up to.

“Good evening Mother.” Sasuke stepped up on the porch.

Sakura stiffened beside Itachi, greeting Sasuke with a nod of her head and a tight smile. So his little brother had been his usual self with his former teammate. That might explain why she was less than thrilled at being escorted by an Uchiha tonight. He’d make it his mission to show her he was different.

“I just have to run in and grab my bag. Sasuke, I’ll be right back.” Mikoto kissed her younger son on his cheek while he smiled down at her. 

“Excuse me, Sakura-san. I also have a quick errand. Please enjoy Sasuke’s company for a moment. I will be right back.” Itachi bowed slightly towards her and flashed his sharingan at his brother, a warning to treat her with respect while he was gone.

“Certainly, Uchiha-san.” She returned his slight bow and then stood quietly while he chased his mother into the house.

His mother’s footsteps padded into the back of the house and he followed them. He found her in her bedroom, putting a few items into the bag she’d carry this evening. “Mother? What is your game?”

She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Sakura is a sweet girl and she’s the hokage’s apprentice. I felt it right for her to be my guest tonight and I can’t trust her to Sasuke, can I?”

He couldn’t fault her logic there. He stared her, debating whether he should just ask her if she was setting him up, or ignore it. 

“Did you want to attend the party, or stare at me, Itachi?” 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Sakura’s heart was pounding in her chest. She’d avoided the Uchiha district after Sasuke’s twelfth birthday. Sasuke and his friends were about all she could take of the Uchiha’s and she’d politely declined future invitations until they’d stopped coming. 

Mikoto’s sudden attention was confusing. They’d met, albeit briefly, when she and Sasuke had been on team seven, but she acted as if Sakura’s presence was a great honor. She’d be sure to be on her best behavior tonight in case the Uchiha were looking for a fault they could blame on Tsunade, though she couldn’t imagine Mikoto being so underhanded. She glanced sideways at Sasuke who was staring at the porch floor with his arms crossed in front of him. Approachable as ever. She guessed she should try to be as polite as possible. 

“Good evening Sasuke.” 

“Evening.” He kept his gaze on the porch in front of his feet.

“How is the police force doing?”

“Well.”

“When does Shisui think he’ll retire?”

“He hasn’t said.”

“I see.” She waited but he said nothing more. “The hospital is doing well. Team Seven has Sai from the foundation now and we go on the occasional mission, though Lady Tsunade keeps me busy enough without them.”

“Hmm.” Sasuke still didn’t look up.

Sakura resisted the urge to punch him. He hadn’t met her chakra punches yet and she was looking forward to the moment he did. Mikoto’s porch, on the evening of her birthday party, didn’t seem like the right time.

“I see you’re being as charming as ever, Sasuke.” Itachi came through the door, holding it for his mother before letting it close. 

Sasuke looked up at him, eyes narrowed just a bit. “I did as you asked, Itachi. I was respectful and polite.” His voice was hard but it softened when he turned to his mother. “Mother, may I escort you to your party?”

Sakura watched him as he waited for his mother to slip on her shoes and then walk down the path with her to the large lighted lot next door where her party would be held. She accepted Itachi’s arm and led him lead her behind them. 

“Haruno-san, I apologize for my brother. He’s more like our father than I’d like him to be.” Itachi said. “I hope his poor behavior doesn’t ruin your evening.”

“Uchiha-san, I understand. I was his teammate after all.” She chuckled over the irony of Itachi apologizing for Sasuke treating her the way he always had. “Please call me Sakura.”

Itachi looked at her, his eyes even darker in the dusky evening light than they usually looked. “Then you must call me Itachi.”

When they arrived at the lot where the party would be held, Itachi paused as she took it all in. Tables had been set up on both sides of a dance floor. Young people, likely Uchiha genin, scurried around the tables serving dishes and filling glasses with various drinks. On the other side of the dance floor a small platform showcased a band that played music quietly while people ate. Lights on strings hung high over everyone’s heads making it bright and cheery despite the fact that the sun had set almost an hour ago. 

“Have you been to the booths on the street yet? They can be quite fun.” The warmth in Itachi's voice confused her. 

An Uchiha who liked to have fun? Weren’t all Uchiha’s cold and distant? Maybe Shisui wasn’t the only exception. She was obviously in for a lesson tonight. It might explain why Tsunade had sent her home early to get ready. She’d used the time to take a much needed nap. “I haven’t.”

“We can go after we’ve eaten. The dancing won’t start for several hours so we won’t miss it.”

“I don’t have to dance.” She felt her cheeks warm up and dropped her gaze so he wouldn’t see the blush.

“I’m sorry, but as the Clan leaders son and future clan leader myself, I am required to dance at least a few dances. As your escort, the first and most of the others, must be with you. I will have to also dance with my mother.” He spoke in a matter of fact tone, but he didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he’d be dancing with her. Sasuke would probably rather jump off a cliff. 

Her arm was already warm and tingly where they touched and she was going to have to dance with him? Her entire body flushed with the thought of him holding her closely enough to dance. She wasn’t sure what to think about it all.


	3. Thoughts in the dark

Itachi stared at the wall in the darkness willing himself to sleep. His mother hadn’t mentioned the wife issue since their breakfast almost a week ago. Suspiciously, neither had his Uncle. He was sure she’d set him up with Sakura on purpose. Was she sending him a message or trying to warm him up to the idea of dating?

He’d dated of course, but not a lot lately. Between his work schedule and the looks some of the elders gave his dates he’d given it up as a lost cause. 

He hadn’t met a lot of women who could hold their own with him anyway. He wasn’t arrogant, but he wanted the woman in his life to be more than arm candy or a social climber. Most of the Uchiha women who chased after him, or where thrown at him by their fathers, were social climbers. None of them had a good understanding of the ninja life and even less of what his job as an ANBU leader entailed. Their conversations would revolve around clan business, festivals, and any children their union produced. And the non-clan women who set their eyes on him had no understanding of what would be expected of them as the wife of a Clan leader. 

The memory of Sakura in his arms as they’d danced rushed back over him, her warm body held close to him as he’d spun her around under the lights. She’d been an excellent dancer and they’d danced most of the night, laughing and chatting in between. It didn’t surprise him that she was a good dancer, but it did surprise him that he’d enjoyed it so much. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d had so much fun at a clan event, even his mother’s birthday.

In between dances, while they sipped sake and watched the crowd, they’d discussed the village, Clan events and other recent news. She’d impressed him with her knowledge and understanding of the politics of ninja life and her calm acceptance of its shortfalls. She’d even had a good understanding of ANBU work and the pitfalls that came with it.

What he’d loved most, though, was watching her emerald eyes sparkle as she laughed with him. Her laugh was clear and sweet, without guile. She laughed because she wanted to and not because she thought it would impress the future leader of the Uchiha clan. Why hadn’t he talked to her sooner? 

He had been noticing her more, primarily because they’d run into each other more often lately. She sat quietly next to Lady Tsunade at meetings and took notes, occasionally asking a question in her sensei’s ear and being answered in whispers. Often she was waiting outside the office door when he exited after reporting back to Tsunade from finishing a mission. She’d be standing off to the side, reading a book, or taking notes, seemingly unaware of him or anyone’s presence. Now he wasn’t so sure. It was more likely she was fully aware of them and choosing to ignore them.

He’d enjoyed her company so much tonight that he’d offered to walk her home when the party ended, despite the fact that it meant he’d only get about four hours sleep before he was expected to meet his team at the gate. Didn’t Kakashi always have a handy excuse for being late? 

And now he lay here not sleeping during those precious four hours. It was going to be a long day indeed.

It wasn’t Sakura that was keeping him awake though. No, he was certain he wanted to know the Hokage’s prodigy apprentice better. He wouldn’t compliment his mother on her choice for him because it would make her conceited, but he was glad she’d meddled, this time. 

It was the look that the elders had given her when his mother had introduced her as the Hokage’s Apprentice, her honored guest, and the woman Itachi was escorting that was keeping him awake. 

Some had merely glanced with no interest at all. She wasn’t an Uchiha and therefore she wasn’t worth their time. It was the same attitude Sasuke had and one Itachi wanted to see eradicated from the Clan. 

Some, mostly the older women, had eyed her with predatory smiles. They were eager to question her and press her for answers she didn’t have. He’d steered her away from them as often as he could but she’d handled them kindly, gently and honestly when he hadn’t. Of course, no one had asked the dreaded question about heirs either. That might have scared her off for good. The smile she’d given him as he’d left her at her door didn’t make him think she’d been frightened in the slightest. 

It was Hibiki’s attention that worried him the most. He’d sneered at her, though Itachi didn’t think she’d noticed. 

Hibiki had been relentlessly throwing his daughter, Hoshi, at Itachi since she’d turned seventeen. Itachi wasn’t interested in her. She was seven years younger than him, she hadn’t passed the genin stage of her ninja career and she spent the bulk of her time gossiping with the other Uchiha girls her age. 

Hibiki was an old school Uchiha who had supported his father’s politics and ways. He wanted Itachi to return the clan to the dark ages even before his time. He didn’t trust Senju’s or anyone they trusted. 

Itachi didn’t trust Hibiki. 

If he dated Sakura, which he very much wanted to, Hibiki would never give her a moment's rest. And he’d do it in insidious ways; by instructing the Uchiha who worked at the hospital to ignore Sakura’s instructions, or by ensuring she was served last at every restaurant he frequented in Konoha. Itachi couldn’t even imagine the way’s Hibiki would undermine Sakura and any relationship she had with Itachi. Hibiki was a dirty, underhanded player. That much was certain.

As his eyes drifted shut he’d decided what he needed to decide. He’d have to abandon any ideas he had of dating Sakura. She was too kind and gentle to be subjected to the unique torture dating him would be. It made him sad to think that he’d finally met a girl he liked and he couldn’t date her.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sakura hung her yukata carefully on her closet door. It would have to go the dry cleaners tomorrow but for tonight she wanted to look at it as she fell asleep. She had expected to enjoy Mikoto’s birthday party, no matter what happened. She hadn’t expected to be so pleasantly surprised by Itachi. He was kind and gentle, fun to talk with, and an excellent dancer. 

Her favorite part of the night, though, had been the booths. After they’d eaten he’d walked her out to the main street which had been set up with festival booths. While they’d chatted about village business, news and gossip, they’d sipped at exotic tasting sake, and played the various games. He’d even laughed when she’d bested him at the kunai throw. She was certain he hadn’t missed on purpose and he seemed completely unbothered by her beating him. Sasuke would have accused her of cheating. 

She was going to forget Sasuke, there was another, far more interesting, Uchiha for her to think about right now. 

Itachi was either the nicest Uchiha she’d ever met, not counting Shisui, or he’d caught her in the most complex genjutsu ever. She’d even tried to release it when she was alone for a moment, so she was fairly certain her memories were real. And oh what memories they were. 

Itachi’s arm at her back as he led through stalls. His hand strong, warm and firm as he guided her. His smile, small but genuine, as they chased fish with paper nets. They’d laughed about the children, hiding from their parents in order to stay up later than they should. They’d shared genin stories, and academy stories, and even a few jonin stories, though he couldn’t talk much about his current work. 

He’d been impressed to learn that she’d been on the team that had freed most of the Foundation members from their curse marks and interested to know that she kept up on them as Akane, a psychiatrist, worked with them to help them recover from Danzo’s twisted leadership. 

She fell back on her bed, letting her arms sprawl out beside her. She’d finally met a man who wasn’t threatened by her abilities and intellect. 

She liked him. A lot. She wanted to know more about him. 

And he was completely out of her reach. 

She hadn’t been blind to the looks she’d received on his arm from the Uchiha elders. The older women had prodded her with questions, wanting to know who her parents were, and how long she’d been Tsunade’s apprentice. A few of them had quieted when she’d mentioned being Sasuke’s teammate, but not all. She’d been fearful they’d ask if she could produce an heir for him but they hadn’t. She guessed Itachi had kindly guarded her from the worst of it. 

It was that man’s look and his questions that convinced her though. Hibiki. He’d eyed her up and down like he was at market considering a piece of meat and he didn’t like what he saw. He’d pressed her with questions about her lineage, finally forcing her to admit that she wasn’t descended from a clan, as far as she knew. 

When Itachi had been called away for a moment to his mother’s side, Hibiki had leaned in with his final question of the night for her. It was that question that haunted her now. His words echoing in her mind, "just what do you think you can offer Itachi that an Uchiha girl cannot?" He’d stared at her as she’d scrambled for an answer and finished before she could open her mouth. "Nothing, you can’t even offer him a true Uchiha heir."

That was the reason, that no matter how handsome, sweet and gentle, Itachi Uchiha was, she couldn’t go on another date with him. She couldn’t fall in love with him only to have it ripped away from her by his clan responsibilities. It didn’t matter that Mikoto seemed to think she’d change minds. Sakura had seen how the clan worked tonight, and there was no place for her in it.


	4. Scheming Mothers

Itachi settled into his seat at his mother’s breakfast table. Apparently this was going to be a monthly event. His uncle was home with a summer cold this time. Itachi couldn’t say he minded. 

Mikoto smiled and set a teapot in front of him before settling herself into her own seat. He poured his tea, waiting as she poured her own. When she looked up at him her eyes were twinkling and he got the distinct feeling that she’d been avoiding looking up at him. It made him uncomfortable but he couldn’t put his finger on why, and that made him very uncomfortable. 

“How have you been, Itachi?” She sipped her tea.

“I’ve been well. And you?” It wasn’t the whole truth. He was frustrated with the Hokage and the mission schedule he’d been given the last three weeks. Rather than his usual three or four days away on missions, since his mother’s party he hadn’t been away from the village for more than three days and that had only been once. Most of his missions were a mere two days, and some were single day missions where he was back the same day. Surely she had better work for him than chunin level errands? 

In place of his missions, he was being sent on village errands. He’d check on ANBU in the hospital and help them complete their reports. He’d attended more meetings in the last three weeks than he’d attended all year. And the final insult; she’d had him working in the tower, reading and updating mission protocol scrolls. The ANBU work and the meetings he understood, but updating the scrolls could surely have been done by a chunin or smart genin. He’d worked on them when he was a genin.

One thing his new schedule had shown him was just how much time his mother and the Hokage spent together. She visited Lady Tsunade an average of twice a week, and sometimes more. He’d also learned how busy Tsunade kept Sakura. She’d scurried past him many times, hurrying to complete one of Tsunade’s tasks or see to her own work. Her pink hair, held back by her headband, flying behind her as she swiftly avoided the many people who simply hung around the tower either hoping to meet someone or be assigned an easy task. 

“I’ve been excellent.” Mikoto took a bite of food, watching him as he shifted in his seat. “I’ve seen you working at the tower more recently. It’s always nice to see your son being successful at his job.” 

“To be honest mother, I find it a little frustrating. I’ve been doing fewer missions and more paperwork.”

“Itachi, more paperwork and less action is part of moving up the chain of leadership.”

Itachi considered her words, on the surface they sounded wise but they weren’t the whole story. Many high ranking ninja went on regular and long missions, whether they were in leadership or not. “I just can’t help but wonder what Lady Tsunade is thinking.”

“Have you asked her?” Mikoto’s eyes darted to him, narrowed so slightly that a lesser ninja might have missed it. 

“I haven’t. It’s my duty to serve the village of Konoha, not complain that I’m not getting the jobs I like.” He sighed deeply, he still had the feeling that she was digging for information. It didn’t worry him, in fact he relished the challenge. What worried him was that he couldn’t figure out what she wanted to know. How could he play the game if he didn’t even know the subject?

“Have you seen much of Sakura lately?” she leaned across the table, fussing with the plate of rice balls and avoiding his eyes as she asked the question. Her casual inquiry, and her unwillingness to look him in the eye, made him pause. Had she somehow gotten Lady Tsunade to change his schedule so he’d run into Sakura more? He dismissed the idea as soon as it came to him. His mother held great power, in her clan and in the village of Konoha. She did not tell the Hokage what to do.

“We’ve passed each other in the hallways, but we’re both busy with work.” That was most of the truth, he buried his face in the last rice ball to hide his face.

“Oh, that’s too bad. She’s such a sweet girl. I’m hoping Tsunade invites her to our luncheon again today.” 

Thirty minutes later Itachi was walking to the hospital. His mind going back and forth between wondering what his mother was up to, and what genin task Lady Tsunade had for him today. He was going to have to talk to her about this. It was driving him crazy not to do what he did best.   
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Sakura tripped as she reached the top step of the stairs that led to the hospital doors. She had a armful of files and scrolls, and a cup of coffee and she guessed they were about to meet each other. To her surprise a warm hand grabbed her elbow just before she would have let them go to break her fall. 

“Careful there, Sakura. I’m sure those are important files, can’t have them covered in dust and coffee, can we?” 

Itachi’s warm, silky voice rushed over her, stopping in places she didn’t know it could stop. Her stomach danced with nerves, and her skin tingled with the pleasure of him being so close. “Thank you!” 

“It’s no problem. It seems to be my newest duty in the village.”

She tipped her head to the side with a questioning look.

“Never mind. I shouldn’t complain.”

“I’ll never tell.” She whispered, leaning in to him as if they were conspiring. “Come have coffee with me.”

For the barest of moment’s she saw him hesitate and then his face lit up. “Thank you, I will. Except, I don’t have any coffee.”

“No problem. I have a spare cup in my office and I’ll share.”

“It's a date then.” 

They both paused, looking at each other uncomfortably. Sakura dropped her gaze and shuffled her feet. Had he just said he wanted a date with her? Why did that thought make her giddy? She didn’t want to be involved with an Uchiha, even a nice one. Right? And definitely not with the Uchiha who was inheriting leadership of a stuffy clan.

“I mean…” Itachi stumbled on his words.

It was the only time Sakura had ever witnessed an Uchiha at a loss for words and she wished she could have a picture of it. It relieved her though. He didn’t want a date after all. He knew the same things she knew. It would never work. “I know what you meant.” She laughed it off, hoping he hadn’t seen hopefulness in her moment of uncertainty. “My office is this way.”

She led him through the doors and then down the hallway, waving her coffee cup at Hanako who raised her eyebrows as she looked at Itachi. 

When they’d settled in her office, and she’d poured some of her coffee into a questionably clean mug she’d found on her desk, she looked up. “What did you mean? Newest duty in the village?”

“It’s just since Mother’s party, Lady Tsunade has given me nothing but chunin and genin level missions. I miss the challenge of actually using my skill.” He sipped his coffee and stared into it, narrowing his eyes. “And, this is the most puzzling part, my mother isn’t bothered by it. It’s almost like she expected it.”

Sakura stared at him, unsure what to say. Lady Tsunade had been meeting more often with Mikoto since the party, and she’d been left out of a few of those meetings. It had surprised her because in the weeks before Mikoto’s party she’d been tasked to attend every meeting Tsunade had. “Why do you think your mother has anything to do with it?”

“Trust me, if she’s not surprised by the fact that I’m being passed over for the difficult missions, then she knew about it. She once marched to the third hokage’s office demanding to know why I’d been assigned a genin level mission two days after I passed the chunin exams.”

Sakura giggled, Mikoto was fiercely proud of her sons and had no qualms about speaking up on their behalf. She’d never been overprotective of them though. She’d yelled at Kakashi for not pushing Sasuke hard enough but never made a peep when he came home filthy from training and covered in bandages. She hadn’t even protested when he’d burned himself with his own lightning blade. She’d calmly remarked, as she’d picked him up at the hospital, that he’d only make that mistake once. 

“Maybe it’s truly just a coincidence this time?” 

“I’ll admit there’s a slim possibility of that, but it’s slight.” He looked like he might say more and then thought better of it. “Anyway, I have to go see Kin and then update mission protocol scrolls for the morning. Thanks for the coffee and for listening.”

“Anytime!” She watched him, or rather his sexy ass, exit her office while she thought about what he’d said. If he was updating mission protocol scrolls then he was truly being yanked around by someone behind the scenes. That was genin level work. The question was, who was behind it?

Three hours later, rounds and files done she was walking up to Hokage tower for lunch with Mikoto and Tsunade. But it was Itachi who filled her thoughts. 

It had been nice to see him this morning. She’d missed his smile and companionship. Since the party she’d pushed her desire to see him away, reminding herself that she couldn’t get attached to him. Some days it was easier than others.

On busy days, when she barely had a moment to think or even eat, he barely passed through her mind for more than a fleeting moment. On those days, she fell into bed at night exhausted and unable to wonder what might have been if he wasn’t the future head of the Uchiha clan. 

A few times she’d run into Hibiki in the village; his sneer, or the threats he whispered under his breath to her made it easy to remember why she couldn’t admit, even to herself, that she liked Itachi.

It was the days in-between that were hard. When she had time on her hands and time to think. When she seemed to run into him at every turn. Had he always been at the hospital so often? Come to think of it she’d seen him a lot at Hokage tower lately also. He’d tipped his head to her in greeting as they passed each other and she’d assumed he was busy, but if he was doing genin tasks then that wasn’t true. Why hadn’t he stopped to talk to her? Unless he wasn’t interested. But if that were true, why had he stopped today? 

She shook the confusing thoughts out of her head as she arrived at Tsunade’s office door. It was ajar and she could hear Mikoto’s musical voice inside. She paused, just to be sure she wouldn’t be interrupting before pushing the door open. “Tsunade, this is working marvelously.”

“I thought so too.”

“I’ve made all the arrangements, just as we agreed.”

“Milady?” Sakura ducked her head around the door. “Should I wait outside?”

Mikoto and Tsunade both jumped, staring at her as they’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Tsunade shifted papers and scrolls around on her desk while Mikoto fussed over the teapot. 

“Of course not, Sakura. Come in, lunch is ready.”

Sakura tried to look innocent, as if she hadn’t heard a thing as she entered. She was no longer sure Itachi was wrong about Mikoto. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Itachi?” Genma’s drawl offered a welcome respite from the scroll he was notating for some poor scribe to copy. 

He looked up, meeting his gaze with what he hoped wasn’t despair in his eyes. 

“Lady Tsunade wants you in her office, now. She said to tell you not to finish what you were doing.”

Itachi didn’t need to be told twice. He sprung up, leaving the scroll and his pen scattered on the table he’d been working at. Genma chuckled as he sprinted out the door and down the hall. 

The door was open when he arrived at her office and he took that as an invitation to walk in. He had been summoned after all. What he hadn’t expected was for Sakura to be there too. 

She stood back to him, facing Tsunade’s desk. He allowed himself a moment to appreciate the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha. Her hair curled against her neck as his eye followed the line of her spine, pausing where her hands lay silent and still at her lower back, and then over her shapely bottom and down to where her long legs disappeared into her boots. If she’d heard him enter, which she likely had, she didn’t acknowledge it. He took a place beside her and nodded at his Hokage. “Lady Tsunade, I’m here as you requested.”

Tsunade didn’t look up from the scroll she was reading but she mumbled him a reply. “That didn’t take long, did it?”

“Ma’am?” He let the quiet fall around them while trying not to think about Sakura standing next to him and his desire to look at her again. 

Finally, Tsunade finished the scroll and looked up. “What’s that? Never mind. I have a mission for you.” She leveled her gaze at him. 

He tried not to let his shoulders sink as he held in a groan. The last four missions she’d sent him on could have been done by an academy student. Next to him Sakura cleared her throat.

“Not now, Sakura. You’re here because I need you on this mission too.”

Itachi blinked, just once. He and Sakura were to be a team? Was this for one mission, or permanent?

“Yes, Milady.” Sakura accepted Tsunade’s order without question, and so would he.

“I’ll do whatever you need, Lady Hokage.” 

“Of course.” Tsunade let her lips slip into a hard smile. “I am the hokage after all. I call the shots.”

“Milady.”

“Ma’am.”

Their replies again stopped her as she was about to speak but she shook her head. “Now where was I? Oh yes. I have a request from the Daimyo that we retrieve some papers he’s expecting to be delivered in a local village. They are highly sensitive and must not be lost at any cost.”

“I understand.” What he didn’t understand was why Sakura was being sent too. 

“The catch is that the Daimyo has enemies who want them. That’s why the messenger can’t bring them straight to him. We must use the ultimate stealth in retrieving them. It’s taken me all day but I’ve finally settled on a plan that I think will work.” Lady Tsunade leaned forward, clasping her hands together and resting her chin on them.

“May I ask a question, Milady?” 

“Not now Sakura.” Tsunade continued. “I’ve chosen both of you because you have the skill and professionalism to pull this off. I want you to go undercover. Itachi is too well known to get away with even the most excellent disguise so I had to devise a different plan. I’ve had intel forge documents that will identify you as Mr. and Mrs. Itachi Uchiha. Your cover story will be that your honeymoon got cut short and you are taking your new wife on a short trip to make up for it.”

“How long do you expect the mission to take?” Sakura’s voice wavered a bit. Was she worried about getting her other work done, or was she unhappy about working with him? 

“I think it should be ten days, more if you have trouble meeting up with the contact.” She handed Itachi a scroll. “Inside that scroll are the instructions for finding him. You’ll have to use the release jutsu to reveal them and then burn the scroll. Other than that I’ve made all the arrangements for your trip for you. Inns and hot springs are booked. All you have to do is have fun traveling there, find the contact, deliver the papers to the Daimyo, and then have fun traveling back.”

Itachi used his superb chakra control to keep his hand from shaking as he reached out. He was finally getting assigned to a real mission and it was to spend a week masquerading as Sakura’s husband? 

His mother had to be in on this. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sakura walked home slowly, letting the shock of her mission assignment settle in her mind. The next week would be her worst nightmare. She’d be pretending to be the one thing she wanted more than anything and could never have .

“Forehead!” Ino’s hand in her face pulled her out of her thoughts. “Where were you? I must have said your name four times.”

“Ino,” Sakura smiled at her friend, “I’m sorry. I was thinking.”

“Anything good?” 

Sakura eyed her friend. They’d made peace and enjoyed each others company now, but she wasn’t sure she could tell Ino how she felt about Itachi. Ino might be totally against her interest in him, or she might be so eager for it that she’d make Sakura’s life hell. “Not really.”

“I was going to the barbecue place for dinner, wanna come with me?”

Sakura weighed her decision. She needed to pack for the mission, but if she said that then Ino would want details. It was five-thirty now, she’d be home by seven and still have time to pack and get a good night's sleep. “Sure, who else will be there?”

“Just Shikamaru, unless he ghosts me again. Last time he got stuck running errands for his mother and I had to eat alone.” Ino shook her head and linked arms with Sakura, pulling her along towards the restaurant. “Today that would be fine, you’ve been so busy I’ve hardly seen you. I want to catch up.”

Sakura nodded her agreement, it had been weeks since they’d visited. She definitely hadn’t seen her since Mikoto’s party. “Some days it seems like all I do is work, and sleep.”

By the time they’d arrived at the restaurant and were seated they’d slipped back into their old friendship as if no time had passed at all. Ino had been busy with missions and had barely had time for a social life too. They laughed about how they used to worry they wouldn’t be chosen for missions and now they hoped they wouldn’t. 

“What missions have you been on?” Ino leaned over smiling at her. 

Sakura paused. Now that she thought about it she hadn’t been on a mission in almost a month. The last mission she’d been on had happened four days before Mikoto’s party. She’d been scheduled for one a week later but Tsunade had removed her from it with no explanation. She’d been relieved at the time because she had work to catch up on at the hospital. “Actually, it’s been hospital work, and meetings at Hokage tower that have kept me busy.” That and avoiding Hibiki. Her brow furrowed a bit at the thought of the detestable man. Three days ago he’d cornered her in the market, spinning his sharingan at her and reminding her to stay away from Itachi.

“What’s the frown for? Do you like being away that much?” Ino teased her. 

Too late Sakura realized she’d shown her emotions too clearly. “It’s not…”

“What a drag. My mom sent me to pick up milk before I could get away and it made me late.” Shikamaru slid in to a seat next to Ino who squealed and hugged him.

“You made it!”

“I haven’t seen you around Hokage tower lately.” Sakura smiled at him. 

“Well, for some reason, I’ve been assigned to Itachi’s ANBU team for the last three weeks while he’s been doing something at the tower.” 

Sakura narrowed her eyes, why on earth was Shikamaru working on Itachi’s team? It didn’t make any sense at all. It wasn’t that Shikamaru wasn’t a talented shinobi, it was more that he had his own team, with a signature jutsu. “So you haven’t been on missions with Ino and Choji?”

“Oh, I’ve been on a few of those too. In fact this is my first night home since Mikoto's party.” He sighed deeply and leaned back in his seat. “It’s been such a drag.”

Sakura hadn’t seen him at Mikoto’s party and she hoped he hadn’t seen her. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew what Tsunade was up to with her schedule changes, but I don’t.”

“You had a good time at the party, didn’t you?” Shikamaru smiled at her. Could she kick him under the table and get away with it? 

“I did. Mikoto invited me to be her guest as a representative of the Hokage.” She avoided Ino’s stare.

“You didn’t tell me that!” Ino screeched at her. 

“She didn’t?” Shikamaru looked between them. “She had Itachi as an escort, it was the buzz of the village the next day. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it.” 

Ino stared at Sakura with her mouth open. Sakura shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. “I didn’t think to mention it.” 

“Didn’t think to mention that you had a date with Itachi Uchiha? The future leader of the Uchiha clan? And most eligible Uchiha in the world?” Ino leaned across the table and knocked lightly on her head. “Is anybody home?”

Sakura sighed deeply. “It wasn’t a date. He was told to escort me by his mother.”

“He didn’t look unhappy about it though.” Shikamaru’s observant nature was making Sakura very angry right now. “And I heard a rumor that you and Itachi are going on a mission tomorrow, is that true?”

Ino was now glaring at her as she nodded miserably. So much for keeping secrets in this small village. “We’re retrieving documents for the Daimyo.”

“But why you two?” Ino asked.

“Mission security, I can’t say.” There was no way she was telling Ino that she’d be posing as Itachi’s wife for the next week. She’d be at her all night. Did she think he was cute? Just how far would their masquerade go? “I should go pack.” Sakura stood up, dropping some money on the table for her dinner.

“Let me know when you get back,” Ino winked at her. “I want all the details.”


	5. Chapter 5

Itachi waited at the gate in the early morning hours. The next week would test him in ways he never imagined he’d be tested.

The woman of his dreams.The woman he could never have would be at his side, posing as his wife.

Wives, a quiet sigh escaped his lips. Daisuke and mother had asked him again yesterday if he’d met anyone. The twinkle in his mother’s eye, and his uncles disinterested nod to his answer, made him suspicious again. Surely she couldn’t have any connections to the Daimyo, right?

The pressure was building though. If he didn’t choose someone, the clan elders might choose for him and then he’d be stuck. Hibiki kept pushing Hoshi at him and he was running out of ways to avoid them. At least his mother wasn’t on board with that match. She didn’t like Hoshi any more than he did.

If only Sakura were an Uchiha. He snorted quietly in the darkness. If she were she probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as sweet as she was. And she definitely wouldn’t have pretty pink hair. Was it silky and soft? He wished he’d managed to touch it while they were dancing. He’d been so wrapped up in how she felt in his arms that he hadn’t thought about much else.

Would it be so terrible? Marrying outside the clan?

He would face criticism from most of his clan, but he was almost certain his mother and uncle would be on board and approve the marriage. He could handle the criticism of the rest of them. They’d adjust after a while. If they gave her a chance and overlooked the fact that she wasn’t an Uchiha, they’d eventually realize what an amazing person she was. They’d see her skill as a shinobi and medic, her incredible chakra control and affinity for genjutsu, and they’d want her genes added to their stagnating pool. Most of them were just afraid of change and the unknown.

What would it be like for her though? That’s really what he had to consider.

It wasn’t easy to be the wife of a clan leader. She’d attend meetings at least once a week. She’d head up the Uchiha wives group, help train their youth, and be a part of planning festivals and holidays. Scratch that, they’d never let an outsider help train Uchiha youth. She had little experience with the sharingan outside of treating it for medical problems and they’d be unlikely to let her get more. Well, it would be one less task to add to her already busy schedule. Though, now that he’d thought of it, he wouldn’t mind letting her familiarize herself with his own sharingan.

He'd asked, and eavesdropped a little, about her. She was a busy woman. Currently, she worked mornings at the hospital, caring for patients and overseeing and training medics. She also was deeply involved in antidote research and development. She assisted Lady Tsunade with meetings and her own research. And she was a member of Team Seven though he hadn’t seen her leave on a mission lately. They were an active and reliable team and not likely to retire anytime soon.

As his wife she’d have to leave Team Seven and likely give up her duties in Hokage Tower, unless they were clan related. She could probably keep her hospital and research work though. Would that make her happy?

She had a full life, with a career she’d chosen and that she loved. He suspected she was attracted to him but she had no idea what a relationship with him meant. He had no right to ask her to give up most of her life and career just because he thought she was pretty.

No, it was better if they kept this mission as professional as possible. He couldn’t fall in love with the pink haired medic who worked as assistant to his Hokage. It would have long reaching effects. On everyone.

Down the road, in the early morning light, he spotted her. She was walking with purpose, a backpack slung over one shoulder. They’d had to pack as if for vacation for this mission but it didn’t look as if she’d packed heavily. The morning breeze ruffled her bangs as she approached and he longed to greet her with a hug. In a few days he might have to, but that would be for others, who were watching. This morning it would have been for him and him alone.

Just once, Itachi wanted to be selfish and do something without thinking about the clan.

* * *

Sakura saw Itachi waiting at the gate and quelled the nerves in her stomach. His bangs fluttered against his face in the light morning breeze. His lean body reclined against a tree with one foot propped up behind him. From a distance it was safe to admire him. He wasn’t the most muscled shinobi she’d ever met but she knew that those limbs had a hidden strength. Underestimating him for his size had been the downfall of many enemies. His dark eyes watched her approach, but she couldn’t read them. Was he worried about this mission, or glad for it? How was she going to pretend to be his wife and not get her heart involved?

Tsunade had said she’d made all the arrangements. What did that mean? Had she arranged separate rooms? Or at least two beds? It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Tsunade; but she didn’t trust her.

What would he be like, pretending to be her husband? At Mikoto’s party he’d been a wonderful escort, thoughtful and attentive all evening. The thought of being the center of that kind of attention from Itachi for ten days, or longer, made her shiver with both anticipation and nerves. Would he keep her arm in his? Or his hand at her back? If she closed her eyes she could still feel him touching her the night of the party and the thrills it had sent through her then. What would she be like after a week of it?

Would it be so bad to give in to her feelings for him?

He was the best looking shinobi in the village. If he was from any other family she wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. They’d connected on a level that she’d never connected with anyone on. He challenged her intellect, skill and humor. She’d thought about what it might be like to just give in.

He was going to be clan leader, there was no doubt about that. The entire village spoke as if it had already happened. Mikoto and Daisuke were just figureheads until he was old enough.

Even if she was just his girlfriend she’d be scrutinized and criticized more than she’d ever been in her life. That, in itself, didn’t bother her. She was confident in who she was and unworried about what others thought. It might be unnerving at first to think that you were being watched and measured in your every moment, but she was sure she could ignore most of it. And what she couldn’t ignore, she could deal with on her own.

Could Itachi ignore it though, or would it add to the already crushing burden he’d carry as clan leader? Her only experience with him had been the night he’d escorted her at Mikoto’s party. He’d been very concerned with her comfort and enjoyment of the night. Some of that was his duty as her escort and representative of his Mother’s family. But she knew some of it was just who he was. He wanted her to be happy and if he worried that she was being judged and found wanting, which the Uchiha’s were sure to do, then he might find her to be more than he bargained for. That would break her heart.

He smiled at her pleasantly. He looked as unhurried as she felt. This would be a nice trip, as long as she could keep her heart out of it. Because she could not afford to fall in love with Itachi Uchiha.

Hibiki had made that very clear to her over the last three weeks. His glares, his sneers and even the times he flashed his sharingan at her didn’t intimidate her at all. She was Tsunade’s student and not easily frightened.

Her encounter with him two days ago had terrified her. She’d been leaving the hospital late in the evening after a long day. Seven ANBU had returned with severe injuries, two of them unconscious. Tsunade, Shizune and herself had spent the entire afternoon healing them. They’d all live to fight another day.

It had been twilight when she’d walked out, exhausted and looking forward to her dinner and a warm bed. If she hadn’t drained so much of her chakra she’d have considered skipping dinner in favor of sleeping, but she knew she needed to eat first.

She’d just decided to stop and get take-out on her way home when she’d sensed someone coming up behind her. She didn’t recognize their step so she’d turned to see who it was and found herself deep in a genjutsu, surrounded by Uchiha’s spitting at her and yelling curse words, the unmistakable look of hatred on their faces.

Hibiki’s trick hadn’t trapped her, but it had surprised her. She’d released his hold easily while funneling chakra into her fist to remind him why he shouldn’t anger the Hokage’s apprentice. But she’d let her fist hang uselessly at her side as he spoke. Chills had run up her spine, chilling her in the summer evening.

  
“Bothered by those images, Sakura?”

“You’re the one who bothers me. Leave me alone.”

“Or what? You’ll report me to Mikoto? She won’t do a thing. She understands why I’m here. And you will too if you pursue Itachi.”

Sakura had stared at him, fist glowing with chakra.

“I don’t think you want to make an incident out of this. I will report it to Tsunade if you punch me and how will you explain it?” His syrupy words had grated on her nerves. “No, there’s much worse in store for you if you pursue Itachi. You’d have to be on guard for your life, and the lives of your children every single day. Can you live with that? Can you ask Itachi to live with that?”

He’d vanished in front of her leaving her shaking with rage and fear. She wasn’t going to tell Tsunade that she was interested in Itachi. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to resign him to life of having his girlfriend or wife shunned by his entire clan.

No, she’d move on after this mission and meet someone else. Eventually.


	6. On the Road

Itachi slid his gaze to Sakura who walked beside him quietly. She wasn’t avoiding him, simply observing the land and enjoying the beautiful day they had to travel.

He longed to talk to her, but talking would ignite the desire to know her better, and that couldn’t happen. Hadn’t he just decided this morning that dating her was a bad idea?

“I think this is the best weather I’ve had for a mission in a long time.” She turned her sparkling green eyes towards him. “Do you need to rest?”

“I’m fine. Unless you need a break.” He looked for signs of her needing a rest, but she didn’t seem tired. Maybe she hid it well.

“Oh no, I’m fine too.” She dropped her gaze to the ground with a small sigh and then returned to looking at the land in front of them.

Maybe he should too.

It was a beautiful day. Just like her. He winced at the direction his thoughts took and forced them back to the land. The road they walked down was long and flat. Tonight they’d be at the base of the mountains in front of them but for now it was abundant fields, some of them just grass and others farm land, spread out on either side of the road for a distance before the signature forest of the Land of Fire began. In the distance the forest was in full bloom, green and lush, just like her eyes when she looked at him.

Itachi bit the inside of his cheek to end that train of thought. Blood tickled his tongue and he swallowed it back with a sip of water. “Don’t forget to drink, you don’t want to get dehydrated.”

Sakura smirked up at him. “Are you advising _me_ on health care, Uchiha-san?” Her teasing tone said she wasn’t offended at all, but still he swallowed his embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. I’m not accustomed to traveling with a medic.” He looked away, hopefully the warmth on his cheeks was from the sun shining down on them.

Sakura chuckled and returned to walking quietly. A few minutes passed before she spoke again. “You’ve taken this route before, am I right?”

Itachi hid his surprise. His missions were top secret, how had she known? “I have.”

“Oh, I know you can’t talk about your missions. But this is a common road, though I’ve never taken it. I was wondering if there is a town on it before we arrive?”

He should have known better than to think she’d ask him to compromise his ANBU team. The ANBU team that Shikamaru Nara was currently replacing him on. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Shikamaru, he was one of the few men in the village that could challenge Itachi. It was more that he wanted to be back on his regular mission schedule.

Maybe after this mission things would return to normal. Maybe the Hokage had known this mission was coming and had wanted him available for it.

Maybe.

It was more likely that his mother had her hand in this, somehow, and was setting him up with the woman she’d chosen for him. Though he couldn’t imagine how she’d managed it he was certain that if she could, then she had.

She loved Sakura, and never missed an opportunity to praise her to anyone who would listen. In fact, one of the Uchiha elder’s had overheard her a few days ago and called her out on it. She’d demanded to know why her clan leader was praising a village brat when she should be looking within the clan for someone to praise. Mikoto had narrowed her eyes at the woman and politely replied that as clan leader it her duty to be aware of village business, and if the Hokage’s assistant happened to be capable why shouldn’t she praise her?

That was something Itachi loved about his mother. She never backed down from her convictions. The thought made him pause. If she was playing matchmaker for him it wasn’t on a whim. She’d never, to his knowledge, done anything just for the fun of it. That meant she’d seen something in Sakura that made her a good choice, both for him and the clan.

Since his mother was rarely wrong, Itachi considered this for a moment. There was no doubt Sakura was good for him. He enjoyed her company; their conversations, when they weren’t too embarrassed to talk, like today, were lively and he found her very attractive. His mother naturally understood these things since she had made it her life's work to understand and know both her sons.

Beyond that, Mikoto’s affection for Sakura was clear. She genuinely loved her and sought her out for at least a short visit whenever she could. He knew this because he’d taken to spying on his mother when she visited Hokage tower. The only thing he hadn’t been able to listen in on were the conversations she had with Lady Tsunade in her office. One, or both of them, always used a barrier to block out anyone who might eavesdrop. That made him suspicious.

But was Sakura good for the clan? She was kind, patient and very thorough. If she took on a task it was always done properly, completely and, usually, ahead of schedule. If she became his wife and helped him lead the clan he had no doubt that she’d be a key factor in helping him to bring about change in how they did business and associated with the rest of the village with her characteristic ease and charm. In fact, he doubted there were many in the clan that could resist her easy friendship even if they wanted to. Of course there would be holdouts. There always were when change was happening. But if this was his mother’s plan then she had that figured out too.

So, was this his mother’s plan? Or his wishful thinking?

He glanced over at Sakura, weighing the chances and realized she was watching him, waiting for an answer to her question. He coughed and barely avoided blurting his answer out too quickly. Fortunately, emotional control ran deep within the Uchiha. He leaned heavily on that now. There was no reason to reveal his thoughts just yet. 

“There is a village that we’ll pass through in about two hours. We will reach our destination this evening, just before dinner time.” A destination that he hoped included separate rooms for them. “Would you like to stop there for lunch? They have the best dango shop I’ve ever eaten at.”

Sakura’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to!”

“Sakura,” Itachi paused. Maybe there was merit in discussing his thoughts with her. She might know something he didn’t, a secret her mentor had let her in on that she might share now that they were traveling. Then again, if he was wrong he might look like a fool.

“Yes?”

She had pulled her pink hair into a bun for traveling when the day had warmed up. She wore her usual skirt and top along with her boots. If she was aware she was being set up with the future head of the Uchiha clan then she certainly hadn’t dressed up for it. Which meant she probably wasn’t interested. And if she wasn’t interested and she wasn’t aware that someone was manipulating them from behind the scenes then it might be best not to say anything just yet.

“Never mind.”

* * *

Sakura settled in to her seat at the table. She’d found a bathroom as soon as they’d arrived. Itachi had found a table and then left for the bathroom when she’d returned.

“You’re tea, ma’am.” The waitress set a tray down on the table. “Shall I pour for you?”

“Thank you, no. I’ll be waiting for,” Sakura paused, should she say husband, friend, teammate? She wasn’t sure.

“That’s fine.” The young woman didn’t seem interested in their relationship and she turned to leave. “You’re food should be out shortly.”

So Itachi had ordered them lunch as well as tea. That was so like him. She could get used to being treated like this. Only she couldn’t let that happen. She’d firmly decided just last night, and again this morning that she wasn’t going to fall in love with him on this mission. Regardless of the fact that she had to pretend she was. Right? She was Tsunade’s student after all. If Tsunade thought she could handle this job then she would prove it to her.

She was having fun today though. Even walking quietly along the road with him was a pleasure.

There was no pressure to talk, no discomfort in the quiet and no awkwardness when one of them spoke and the other answered. She’d enjoyed teasing him this morning and seeing the pale pink blush paint his cheeks. If she’d been asked she never would have guessed that the normally subdued Itachi Uchiha would blush so easily. It was charming.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to this mission than they’d been told.

Sakura’s mind kicked into overdrive and she cataloged the events of the past few weeks. It had started the day she’d met Mikoto.

Mikoto’s eyes had sparkled as she’d watched her and she’d wondered if the Uchiha clan leader had managed to sneak a bit of her own sake into the meeting. Now Sakura thought it might be something else that had made her eyes sparkle with mystery.

What she was sure of was after that meeting everything had changed. Actually, that wasn’t quite true. There had been minor changes those first few days, but it was after Mikoto’s party that the changes had been noticeable. Tsunade had insisted she attend every meeting she held, even the ANBU ones which Sakura had no reason to attend. Itachi’s schedule had been changed too, keeping him at the tower or the hospital more often. Finally, a day rarely passed when Mikoto didn’t seek Sakura out somewhere in the village and visit with her for a short time.

She’d even overheard Mikoto praising her to someone else in the market last weekend and defending her right to do so.

Had Hibiki gotten wind of this? She was sure he’d give Mikoto a piece of his mind when he did. Although after getting to know her better these last few weeks, she was certain Mikoto was perfectly prepared to return the favor to him and make him sorry he’d ever approached her.

Sakura leaned back in her seat. Itachi had chosen a comfortable corner near an open window. The breeze rustled through the tree just outside in the garden their seat overlooked. Water trickled in a fountain, a faint but comforting sound that mixed nicely with the soft wind chimes she could hear.

Was it possible? Was Tsunade joining Mikoto and playing matchmaker?

Tsunade’s history and experience in matters of the heart wasn’t the best. Sakura didn’t know all the details but she’d heard her mentor weeping and calling out names when she over-indulged in her sake and thought no one was around. It was possible that she regretted not settling down when she was younger and wanted to push Sakura away from making the same mistake she had.

It was also possible that she saw an opportunity to get Itachi and Sakura familiar enough with each other that they wouldn’t mind working on her super ANBU team of Uchiha and foundation members together. Had she mentioned it to him yet? If she had she hadn’t told Sakura.

Neither possibility bothered Sakura at all, but one definitely made her smile a little brighter.

“Are you enjoying the view I chose?” Itachi slipped into the chair across from her. “I’d hoped it would be a nice break from our travels.”

He was so beautiful, dark eyes and hair. A soft smile that was always welcoming. Though not everyone would agree with her, she didn’t care. Not today. Today she was going to enjoy his company and think about what Tsunade and Mikoto might be planning. Now that she thought about it Mikoto had been spending an inordinately large amount of time at the tower lately. They both insisted it was to encourage a better integration of the clan and the village. Sakura was beginning to think there was more to it.

“I’m very much enjoying the view. Thank you, Itachi.” She returned him smile. “May I pour your tea, husband?” She quirked her eyebrow at him teasingly.

Itachi returned her smirk. “I’d enjoy that wife.”

Whatever happened on this mission she would have fun and relish Itachi’s wonderful companionship. And if she fell in love with him then she’d deal with that when it happened.

She glanced up at him as she poured his tea. His dark eyes roamed over her, darting away when she met his gaze and then returned with confidence to her face. A smile curved his mouth gently, and made her wonder what it would feel like to kiss him. Would his lips be as gentle as his manner or would they be passionate and enthusiastic.

Who was she fooling? She was going to fall in love with the heir to Uchiha clan and damn the consequences! Tsunade had trained her to never back down and she was going to follow that training right into Itachi Uchiha’s heart.


	7. Getting to Know You

It was with a skip in his step that Itachi led them out of the small village they’d stopped for lunch in. They were both munching quietly on the dango they’d purchased as they were leaving.

“Did you enjoy your lunch?”

“It was delicious. And this dango is amazing! Thank you for showing me the shop.” Sakura smiled up at him brightly, her green eyes glowing.

Was it his imagination or had her attitude changed from this morning? She hadn’t been distant this morning, but quiet and reserved. Over lunch, however, she was, he paused to try and pin down the emotion he felt flowing off her, radiating happiness. She was more beautiful than ever. It was unlikely many people saw her with her guard down as she was now. Itachi’s heart warmed at the thought that she was opening up to him.

Well, if his mother had a plan for them and he was going to play into his mother’s plan then he wanted to know something about the woman his mother had chosen for him.

“Can you tell me more about your work at the hospital?”

Sakura’s already large eyes grew larger and she waved her hand dismissing his question. “My hospital work is boring. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about it.”

“No really, I’m curious. Before my schedule change I hadn’t realized how much time you spent there.”

Sakura sighed, but her face lit up just a bit. “Well, of course I treat patients. Mostly ANBU and jonin who come home injured but there are a few special cases I’m called in on.”

“Oh, so there are favorites in the village then?” Itachi teased her and quirked his eyebrow.

“Not really favorites. People with chronic or severe health problems, mostly.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Shizune and I share the responsibility and consult Lady Tsunade when we need to.”

“I see.” Itachi waited for her to continue and when she didn’t he prodded her. “Is that all?”

“No, but the rest of the work, well, it’s not…” her voice trailed off.

“If you’re going to say interesting you should let me be the judge of that. I did ask, this is your opportunity to see if you can bore an Uchiha.” His lips fought the smile that wanted to spread them. Sakura’s smile lit the path they were on. She obviously loved talking about her work.

“I do a lot of research.”

“What sort of research?” He wondered if she could talk about the work she’d done with the foundation members and Akane. Or if she would.

“Well, I research antidotes, of course. Every time someone comes home from a mission poisoned and we extract it we save a sample of the poison. I analyze it, try to recreate it and make an antidote for it. That way we have expanded our own poison arsenal, and equipped our medics with an antidote should they encounter it on a mission. I also research our own new poisons, and of course make antidotes for them at the same time.” She paused and shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe how many ninja poison themselves during training.”

“Really?” He glanced at her and lowered his voice. “Are you allowed to tell me names?”

“I’m sorry, doctor/patient confidence.”

Itachi filed that information away for future reference. “Is that all?”

“The rest of my work at the hospital is routine stuff. Training new medics, updating patient files, and of course emergency care. All village medics, except Lady Tsunade, take shifts in the emergency room.”

She hadn’t mentioned Akane, which either meant she wasn’t working with her anymore, or she couldn’t talk about it.

“I also work with Akane Moreno and the foundation members who remained in the village. It’s been a long road for many of them, but they are doing well.”

Itachi’s own eyes lit up. Now was his chance to find out just how talented and capable they were.

“You do know that Team Seven added a foundation member when Sasuke left to train with Orochimaru, don’t you?”

“His name is Sai, right?”

“Yes. At first it was a little rough. Naruto and I both expected him to be a perfect replacement for Sasuke.” She paused and wrinkled her brow. “Well, maybe not perfect…”

“You meant to say Sasuke’s skill without his attitude. It’s alright, Sakura, I’m well aware that my younger brother has an attitude problem.”

Sakura was quiet for a moment, except for the muttered “attitude problem doesn’t even start to describe it,” under her breath. He assumed she didn’t realize how good his hearing was and ignored it with a chuckle. It must have been a challenge having Sasuke on her team, maybe someday she’d tell him about it.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to duck behind these bushes and, ah, take care of some business?” She raised an eyebrow at him and he understood.

“When you’re done I’ll do the same.”

He watched as she slid into the foliage on the side of the road. Once she was out of sight there was silence, just as he’d expect from a kunoichi of her level. He strained his ears to catch even the slightest rustle in the bushes but still heard nothing. After a minute or so she reappeared, from a different place on the road.

“All done. You’re turn. I’ll watch the road.” She leaned back on a tree, crossed her arms and glanced down the road.

As Itachi slipped into the bushes he endeavored to be more silent than she had been. He was an Uchiha after all, with the obligatory Uchiha pride, and he couldn’t be outdone. Not even by the beautiful assistant to the Hokage. When he was done, he did as she had, move through the forest so he could reenter the road from a different place. In an effort to surprise, and maybe impress her with his ability to move quickly and silently, he moved further down the road, coming out past a curve they’d just passed. He walked casually down towards where he’d left her, turning the curve with a smile to discover Sakura wasn’t where he’d left her.

The road was empty.

He increased his walk to a jog, quickly getting to the tree he’d left her at and scanned the area, activating his sharingan to check for chakra signatures. He located her in a clearing just behind a thicket of trees and heavy undergrowth. Her chakra and the chakra of five others. Panic made his heart pound for a moment before he suppressed it and charged through the bushes.

The sight that greeted him made his blood run cold and then hot with anger. Sakura was calmly pulling her gloves on as she faced five men, all armed with various weapons. By their dress they were probably criminals who preyed upon unsuspecting travelers. They jumped when he crashed into the clearing but didn’t back down. He let his sharingan light up his eyes as he prepared a genjutsu that would scare the life out of them, but Sakura interrupted him.

“It’s alright, Itachi. Don’t waste your chakra on these losers.” She shook her head at them as she scoffed. “I’ve got this.”

One of the men narrowed his eyes at Itachi and tensed, as if he might charge. Itachi stepped back to see how the woman his mother had chosen for him fought under pressure.

“You’re going to let a girl protect you?” Another of the men sneered at him.

Meanwhile Sakura had pulled her fist back, gathering her chakra in it. Just as he finished his words the other man began his charge towards Itachi, knife drawn and pointed, but before he could take more than two steps Sakura had punched the ground.

“Cha!” The ground before her buckled and two of the men fell in the gaping hole she’d created. The other three were tossed up into the air on the rocks as they flew out of the ground.

She didn’t hesitate, taking advantage of their surprise she shot towards the one who had been charging Itachi. He had managed to regain his footing and was hopping from stone to stone. She met him at the top of a large one, pummeling him with a chakra punch that sent him flying back into a tree at the edge of the clearing. She met the next man as he finally stood back up, sending him to join his friend by the tree, and the third man she picked up by his shirt and threw to them.

The men who’d fallen into the hole were groaning and holding their heads when she approached them. One of them held his hands up in surrender.

“Please don’t hurt me!” He screamed at her, scrambling to get out of the ground and sit by his friends.

He was quickly joined by the man he’d left behind. “Don’t leave me to her!”

The four men who were still conscious, cowered before her. Itachi joined her and stared down at them, a smile quirking his lips.

“What should we do with them, Uchiha-san?”

At the mention of his name one of the men’s eyes went wide. “You’re Itachi Uchiha?”

“Does it matter?” He let his deep voice rumble in the quiet.

The man shook his head and averted his eyes. “Don’t look him in the eyes, he’ll kill you!”

Itachi chuckled at the man. “I don’t really think I need to do a thing.”

The man looked back up and then dropped his head. “I had no idea a girl could be so strong.”

“Not just any girl.” Itachi replied. “She’s a student of Lady Tsunade.”

“The legendary sannin?” One man exclaimed.

“Well that explains a lot!” another one said.

Itachi smiled broadly at Sakura. It certainly did explain a lot.

* * *

Sakura dusted her hands off. “Well, that was an interesting break for the afternoon.”

Itachi had found a patrol who had taken the men into custody. They’d be punished for trying to rob travelers, and released to do it again. But maybe she’d taught them a lesson. She couldn’t say she was sorry. It had been a welcome change to get some training in and show off her skill to Itachi at the same time. She’d even caught his look of awe before he managed to hide it.

Now they were back to walking quietly down the road. She glanced up at the sun to judge the time. “What time do you think we’ll arrive in the village?”

“I expect our side mission will make us about a half hour later than I originally thought.”

She studied his profile. He was quiet but he didn’t seem uncomfortable. He looked as if he wanted to say something and couldn’t decide how to say it. Itachi didn’t strike her as the type who struggled with words. Certainly he kept his own counsel, and only spoke when he had something to say, but she’d never seen him worry about what he had to say. Which is what he seemed to be doing now.

“I never finished telling you about Sai. Are you interested?” Maybe if she got him talking he’d find it easier to mention whatever seemed to be bothering him. Either way, she wanted to talk more with him and he’d seemed quite interested in her work with the foundation when she’d mentioned it earlier.

“I’m very interested.”

His tone encouraged her. “Well, Sai joined us before the,” she paused, unsure how to talk about the Uchiha uprising that had killed his father and many others in his clan.

“The uprising. It’s alright Sakura. They may be my clan but I did not support their separatist attitudes then or now.”

It was good to know for sure he wasn’t a hardline Uchiha like Sasuke, but just how liberal was he? Liberal enough to force his clan to let him marry an outsider? She shushed her thoughts and focused on Sai. He hadn’t even asked her out and she was thinking about marriage. It wasn’t like her to put the cart before the horse, and she wondered why she’d jumped to it.

She glanced up, her face hot with embarrassment from her thoughts. He had stopped walking and was waiting for her to speak. Had he asked her something? She thought back, she was supposed to be talking about Sai, not thinking about marrying the head of the Uchiha clan. She clenched her fist and gathered her thoughts back together.

“Yes, before the uprising. Sasuke had gone to train with Orochimaru for a time.”

“Yes, he came back just before the uprising at father’s request.”

She nodded. She hadn’t known that Fugaku had called Sasuke back. Did that mean Sasuke had helped in the uprising? It shouldn’t surprise her, only it did. She had always considered Sasuke to be a loyal shinobi of the Leaf. To think he’d been involved in the revolt that had killed many of the Uchiha and a fair share of other Leaf shinobi made her sad.

“Anyway, at first we fought a lot. I don’t know how Yamato and Kakashi-sensei put up with us, but they did.” She laughed at the memory. “One time Naruto and Sai had been fighting all day. We were traveling to a mission and it was constant. I was trying to stay out of it, but finally I’d had enough and I yelled at them to stop fighting for once.”

“How did that work?”

“They stopped. For about three minutes. Naruto complained loudly that he wasn’t doing anything, it was Sai. But it was Sai’s response that tipped me over the edge.”

“What did he say?”

“Urghhh! Just remembering it makes me want to punch him again!” She clenched her fist and then laughed. “He looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘of course I can stop fighting with Naruto. If that’s what you want, Ugly.”

Itachi’s eyebrows shot up. “He called you ugly?”

Her laugh was small and bright, and full of joy. “He did. He was under the mistaken impression that he should call people the opposite of what he thought about them.”

“I see.” Itachi looked at her. “He was right.”

Chills ran over Sakura’s arms, was he implying what she thought he was?

Itachi turned and stood in front of her, ignoring the wagon that was passing them on the road. “You are very beautiful.” He rested his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, his voice was quiet and breathy, heavy with passion. “So beautiful in fact that I don’t think ugly is the right word if you are using opposites.”

Sakura’s breath stilled, her heart pounded in her chest as she stared up into his eyes. Did he mean that? His face was sincere, there was no reason to think he was lying. Except if he was keeping up their act. It must be that. She batted her eyes at him and giggled. “Uchiha-san, you are too kind.”

Itachi’s smile pulled up one side of his mouth. “Maybe I am.” He turned away from her and resumed walking. “You were saying, about the foundation members.”

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Had she done something? Weren’t they supposed to be pretending to be married? Why had her flirting offended him?

“Yes, so Sai eventually found his place on team seven. We’re quite a good team, when we get missions.”

“And the other foundation members?”

“They’re a mixed group. Sai was the first to break his curse mark. I helped him. Once we realized it could be broken Akane joined up with me and we started helping the other foundation members to break theirs. Some were easy, others still haven’t managed it.”

“I had no idea there were still foundation members with a curse mark.” He looked up at the sky and murmured. “Interesting.”

“That’s not all. Many of the foundation members have deep psychological damage from their training. Akane has been working with them to heal it.”

“How are they doing?”

She shrugged. “They’re individuals, some heal faster than others. And we’re only medic-nin, not miracle workers.”

He nodded his head and slipped into thought. Sakura took the opportunity to examine him.

This time, instead of just looking at how good looking he was, she looked at his eyes. He looked like he carried a secret that he wanted to divulge. Of course all ANBU carried secrets. But today Itachi looked like he had a happy secret that he still couldn’t talk about.

His words echoed in her mind. _“You are beautiful.”_ Even the memory sent shivers through her. She’d wanted to lean up and kiss him. For a fleeting moment she’d thought he would lean down to kiss her, but he hadn’t. Instead, when she’d flirted back he’d clammed up.


	8. Chapter 8

Itachi sighed deeply as they approached the inn they’d be staying at. Tsunade had said _she’d_ made all the arrangements, hopefully that included two beds. He’d sleep on the floor if he had to, but he didn’t want to and he certainly couldn’t share a bed with Sakura. She’d been as charming as ever today, falling into her role with ease as they’d traveled. As they’d entered the village she’d even leaned into him, giggling with delight at the sights and whispering to him intimately.

He wasn’t sure if she was acting or was truly interested in him. And it was killing him. When he’d told her she was beautiful her response had been so formal. It had sounded rehearsed. Perhaps she wasn’t as interested as he was, and was unwilling to make a mistake that might embarrass them both.

They passed through the door to the inn and he prepared himself to play his part. The owner sat at her desk, pen in hand as she worked in an accounting book. She glanced up when the door clicked shut and smiled broadly. His eyes adjusted from the bright sun and his shoulders sank in defeat.

It was going to be a long week.

“Itachi-kun!” She jumped from behind the desk and hurried over to him, pulling him into a hug and kissing his cheek while he was bent down.

“Oba-san, it’s good to see you.” He stood, pulling away from the older woman’s arms. “This is my wife, Sakura. Sakura, this is my mother’s cousin, Emi-san.”

She bowed her head to Sakura. “It’s nice to see my nephew has the good taste to not marry an Uchiha.” She spit the last word out.

“It’s nice to meet you also, Emi-san.” Sakura smiled sweetly. If she was nervous, it didn’t show.

“Oh, don’t bother with the formality. I may be an Uchiha, but I’m not stuffy! Got out when I could!” She laughed loudly as she walked back to her desk. “Call me Mi-chan, everyone does.”

Itachi shifted from one foot to another, wishing, not for the first time, that he’d been sent on a simple assassination mission.

“You look appropriately nervous, Itachi.” Emi smiled at him from the desk where she’d resumed her perch on a high stool. “Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you in front of your new wife.”

Too late. “Thank you Oba-san.”

Emi pursed her lips and made a terrible sound. “You’re not a child anymore Ita-chan! Call me Mi-chan!”

Sakura smiled at him, quirking an eyebrow.

“Certainly.” He paused as he collected his thoughts. “Lady Tsunade said she’d made arrangements for us…”

“Why would your Hokage make arrangements for your honeymoon?” Emi wrinkled her brow. “It was Mikoto I spoke to.”

Of course Tsunade wouldn’t blow their cover like that and his mother had probably jumped at the chance to get involved. He smiled while he worked through the story they’d built.

“I’m the Hokage’s apprentice. We’ve both been so busy with missions and work,” Sakura’s sweet voice was his salvation, “when we finally got a chance to enjoy a honeymoon I’m afraid we left it in other hands. We weren’t sure who had taken care of it.”

Itachi stared in wonder at Sakura’s easy lie. She was amazing.

Emi nodded, accepting the explanation. “The Hokage’s apprentice? One of the legendary Sannin? You certainly set your sights high didn’t you Itachi-kun?”

What was his mother was up to? Why had she chosen Emi’s inn? But Emi was right. If he was going to choose a woman for himself it would be Sakura. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. The question that remained was, did she want him?

“Mikoto asked me to take good care of you. She said you were both very dear to her heart.” Emi pulled a key off the wall behind her. “I’ve given you the best room in the inn, and I’ve planned a dinner for you to celebrate.”

Itachi kept his face blank. He’d had years of practice doing it, growing up in the Uchiha clan. He did wonder what sweet torture Emi had in store for him tonight, though. “I’m afraid we packed lightly, we don’t have anything formal with us.”

“No worry. I expected as much. Mikoto said you’d chosen to walk. I don’t understand, but then that’s why I never became a shinobi.” She shook her head and looked at Sakura. “I married out of the clan as young as I could. Couldn’t get away fast enough!”

Sakura smiled back at her but said nothing.

“Anyway, you don’t want to stand here talking to me. I’ll show you to your room and then you can find your own way to pass the time.” She waggled her eyebrows at them and opened a door, indicating they should follow her. “I put you in the room I keep for traveling dignitaries. Though the Daimyo has never seen fit to stay here.”

“Oba--Mi-chan, he lives less than a half day’s walk from here. Why would he stay here?” Itachi asked her.

“To give my inn his blessing of course! Do you have any idea how much more I could charge if he’d stayed here?” She stopped in front of a door and slipped the key into the lock. “This room is furthest from the common area, you’ll have as much privacy as you want. I also reserved the surrounding rooms on so they’d stay empty and you wouldn’t be disturbed.”

Itachi’s hopes for a low profile visit faded as she led them into an extravagant suite. Sakura was equally surprised and overwhelmed, her beautiful green eyes were wide with wonder. They stood in a living room where they could receive guests. A small kitchen sat in the corner, and two doors, partially open, led to what he assumed were a bathroom and a bedroom. The far wall was a traditional Japanese rice paper door that Emi now stood at, inviting them to come join her.

She slid it open to reveal a courtyard garden with benches for meditation and a small bamboo fountain that burbled and splashed as it spilled it contents and then tilted back to refill. The lavish green plants that filled the garden reflected the lush countryside of the Fire Country, and the flowers that bloomed in a riotous explosion throughout hinted at the skill of the gardener who managed this luxurious retreat. Itachi was speechless, and for a moment, glad that his mother had chosen this place. Though it was going to be a long few days while they were here.

Sakura stood on the porch, silent and awestruck. When she spoke it was a hushed, and reverent whisper. “It’s beautiful Emi-san.”

The sunlight glinted through the treetops that gave the courtyard some cover and made her hair shine the most vibrant pink he’d ever seen. Her green eyes, always bright, glowed with appreciation for the beauty before them, and her words rang true and gracious as she complimented Emi’s choice of accommodation for them. She’d make an amazing wife, and clan leader. He took advantage of the moment, joining her at the door and slipping his arm around her waist, relishing the way she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder gently.

“Well, you two lovebirds don’t want me hanging around anymore.” Emi gave them an admiring smile. “The courtyard is private, so enjoy it as you see fit.”

Itachi quirked an eyebrow. He knew exactly what he wanted to do in that courtyard, and he knew it would never happen. “Thank you, Oba-san.” His words were filled with genuine appreciation. Emi had gone out of her way for what she believed was his honeymoon and he was blown away by her generosity.

Emi turned back to speak with her hand on the doorknob. “Mikoto said you two wanted a quiet honeymoon, but I couldn’t help myself. I planned a dinner, where you can announce your marriage publicly to the local Fire Country tonight. You should be in the ballroom by seven.”

“Oba-san…” Itachi’s shoulders slumped. While the announcement would do wonders to support their cover story it would be hard to counteract the rumors when the mission was over. He didn’t understand what Tsunade or his mother were thinking.

“I won’t take no for an answer. I was so sure they’d force you to marry some half-wit, stuffy Uchiha girl, who was half your age and flaky as hell. Let me celebrate the victory you and your mother have made in moving the Uchiha clan into the modern era.”

Itachi narrowed his eyes, ever so slightly at his aunt’s words. He didn’t bother to point out that a girl half his age wouldn’t be old enough to get married, not even in the Uchiha clan. Sakura pulled away from him to walk over to Emi, dipping her head in respect when she stood before her.

“Emi-san, you are so thoughtful. Thank you.”

Emi leaned forward and whispered something in Sakura’s ear that made her laugh, a bright, happy sound, and then she slipped out the door leaving them alone.

Itachi sighed deeply, relaxing for the first time since they’d arrived. “I’m sorry that my family is so interfering.”

“It makes our cover very good, doesn’t it?” She grinned at him.

“But it will be so hard to retract when we’re done.”

“I wouldn’t worry. I’m sure Tsunade has a plan and she’s discussed this with your mother.”

That was exactly what he was afraid of. For now, anyway, there was nothing to do but play along. And being Sakura’s “husband” was quite fun without the worry of Hibiki’s prying eyes. “What would you like to do?”

“I’d like to enjoy that courtyard, and some tea!” Sakura’s face lit up as she looked past him. “But I think we need to wash up before we do that.”

Itachi let a wide smile spread across his face, nodding in agreement while Sakura investigated the rest of the suite. She pushed open the door to what he assumed would be the bedroom and stood there, mouth gaping open. Three long strides brought him to her side.

The bedroom, which also opened onto the courtyard, was as luxurious as the rest of the suite. A fluffy king sized bed dominated the room, facing the doors which could be left open to the cool evening air and relaxing sounds, a love seat sat against the wall and a closet and dresser stood next to the entrance to the bathroom.

Itachi felt his spirit and resolve draining away from him as he glanced over his shoulder at the narrow couch he’d be spending the week on when he really wanted to lay in that bed and hold the beautiful pinkette who stood beside him.

* * *

Sakura smoothed the skirt she’d put on as they approached the ballroom where Emi had planned a dinner for them. Surely there couldn’t be that many people here that would want to celebrate Itachi’s marriage, right?

“Sakura,” Itachi pressed a hand to her forearm, slowing her down to speak before they got too close to the door, “I want to apologize in advance for Emi. She’s always been a little eccentric. It’s one of the reasons her marriage outside the clan and subsequent move was allowed. My father and grandfather were glad to see her go.” He chuckled at the memory.

“It’s alright.” Sakura smiled up at him. “I like her. She isn’t like any of the Uchiha’s I’ve met.”

Itachi sighed and shook his head. “You couldn’t be more right.”

Sakura squeezed his arm in solidarity. They’d gotten comfortable with the close contact today as they’d passed through villages and had to pretend to be a couple. She’d miss it when this mission was over. That and his companionship and conversation. There weren’t many people she enjoyed spending time with as much as Itachi. How would things change when they got home? The question had plagued her all day.

She’d tried to imagine it while he’d washed up earlier but all she’d been able to think about was the enormous bed they were expected to share tonight while she sat in the courtyard and sipped her tea.

The room had been built for traveling dignitaries and probably had plenty of spying traps laid in it. Would Emi invade their privacy, or leave them alone? She wasn’t sure. Emi might not even know they were there and someone else would be spying on them. Had Mikoto planned this in the hopes they would fall in love?

Sakura had glanced into the room in time to see Itachi exit the bathroom wrapped only in a towel. His lean frame and tight abs made her flush with the desire to be close to him. But she didn’t think he shared her feelings. He’d been distant since this afternoon when she’d flirted with him. This was only a mission to him.

Could she enjoy the time she had with him now and then walk away when they got home? She wasn’t sure.

What she was sure of was that she wanted to lie in Itachi’s arms in that oversized bed and let him make love to her. That fell under the mission protocol, right? They had to consider they might be spied upon, even if it wasn’t Emi doing the spying, and behave accordingly.

Itachi’s hand was warm on her arm as her mind raced with thoughts of how he’d feel, naked and pressed against her. Her face felt hot as she looked up at him, glad that the hallway was dim. “Ready?”

“Yes, are you?” He held her back one final moment. “This is Emi. Even my mother probably doesn’t know what she has planned tonight. I can tell her I don’t feel well from traveling and we can stay in our room.”

Stay in their room and face that big bed for hours, knowing she would either be sharing it with him or lying in it alone while he curled up on a couch that was far too short? “I’m a kunoichi of the Leaf, I can handle this.”

Itachi eyes were warm and kind as he took in her words. “Thank you.”

“I’m going to go get them!” Emi’s voice came from behind the door as she threw it open. “Oh! There you are! I thought maybe you’d lost track of time.”

“Oba-san..”

“Now Itachi, I won’t be denied. Do you have any idea what an honor it is for me to host the future leader of the Uchiha Clan and his wife?” Emi had one hand on her hip and wagged a finger at him. “This will do wonders for my business!”

Sakura saw the defeated look in Itachi’s eyes and linked her arm into his, pulling him close. “We can’t thank you enough, Emi-san, for the welcome you’ve given us.”

“Sakura, we’re family, it’s Mi-chan.” Emi swept open the door to the ballroom. Bright lights blinded Sakura before the full impact of Emi’s dinner hit her. The ballroom had been decorated with cherry blossom branches and twinkling lights that made it look like a fairy land. Each table had a vase of cherry blossoms and an Uchiha fan in it. And there were many tables in the room. Sakura tried to count but the swarm of people coming towards them, and the greetings shouted as they did, prevented her from doing so.

“Uchiha-sama!” was the most common greeting. Several older men and women bowed to Itachi and then her, before returning to their seats. Many of them waited to shake hands with Itachi and congratulate him on his marriage and promotion to head of the clan. The younger people held back, waiting their turn and then tried to talk with him. Some wanted to know about their trip, how they’d met, and news from Konoha. A few of the girls their age gave Sakura mildly jealous looks but were otherwise polite.

Sakura stood next to Itachi, shaking hands, answering questions and smiling. She wondered if they’d ever make it to their table, but eventually Emi clapped her hands making the room go still. “I know you all want to meet the woman who stole Itachi’s heart, but they’ve been traveling all day. Let them eat. They will talk to you later.”

Sakura’s stomach dropped at Emi’s words and she stole a sideways glance at Itachi whose face remained blank. She wished it was true, that she’d stolen his heart. He enjoyed her company but he also kept his distance which meant either he wasn’t interested in her or he didn’t think he could marry outside the clan. Her eyes felt damp at the thought that it would never be. As Emi led them to a table at the head of the room she decided she’d make the most of this mission and enjoy the memories it left her with.

They were seated at the table, facing a room full of smiling faces when Sakura realized there were at least two hundred people staring back at them expectantly. Emi poured them saki and smiled at them as the room erupted into the ringing of spoons on glasses. Sakura looked at Itachi and licked her lips. She knew what was expected of them but she wasn’t prepared for it at all.

For the first time since they’d arrived Itachi looked like he was at a loss for words. She’d sensed his confusion a few times but he’d always managed to keep his face steady. Now it was beet red and panic filled his eyes as he looked at her and then her lips. He licked his own nervously. She knew what she had to do. This was a joint mission and required sacrifices on both their parts.

“Mi-chan?” She leaned forward and touched Emi’s elbow gently. “Is there a restroom?”

Emi almost didn’t hear her over the din from the room. It took her a moment but she recovered. “Of course!”

Sakura followed her from the room as the waiters began filing into the room laden with trays of miso and salad. Maybe by the time she got back the room would be quieter.

When she returned it was indeed quiet as people ate their first course. She slid into her seat smiling as Itachi leaned in close to thank her for her quick thinking. Her ninja skills weren’t put to the test again until dessert had been cleared away. Emi returned as a curtain was swept aside revealing a dance floor and a band that started playing right away.

Emi ushered them out of their seats, whispering in their ears. “They won’t be put off forever you two.”

Itachi smiled at her he pulled her close, sweeping her across the floor with ease. “I think they want to see us kiss.”

Sakura wanted to kiss him, but he might not feel the same. “Do you want me to slip out again?”

“I don’t think Emi will let us get out of this.”

Sakura glanced at Emi who stood at the edge of the floor watching them with a dreamy look on her face. A man stood by her side with his arm around her.

“That’s Kin, Emi’s husband. He’s a good man, they’ve been married for forty years.”

They looked so happy together. What was it like to stand next to the man you loved for so long? Sakura wasn’t sure she’d ever know, since the man she loved couldn’t be hers.

“Kiss, kiss, kiss!” the crowd chanted at them, encouraged by Emi who smiled and pointed while she led them.

“I don’t think we’ll win this.” Itachi’s lips curled up at the corners.

Sakura loved when Itachi smiled. It didn’t happen often, but when it did his whole face it up. Suddenly, he was leaning down to meet her lips with his. Her eyes fluttered shut in what she hoped was a romantic flutter and not the nervous panic she felt rising in her stomach. Her own lips parted expectantly and she waited an eternity for the brush of his lips. When it came she gasped at the contact as fire rushed through her. His lips were soft and gentle, and his breath was sweet from the dango they’d eaten. She let her own lips brush back against his and pulled her head back to separate them but Itachi’s hand slipped around her neck, cupping her head and pulling her closer. His tongue swept against her lower lip and tapped lightly, teasing her to open her mouth to him.

Sakura’s world spun around her and she let herself grip Itachi’s arm, slipping one hand around his waist for balance. As his mouth took possession of hers she sighed into him and let herself be swept away. His tongue slid against hers, exploring her mouth slowly and gently as he slipped his other arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. His body pressed up against hers, lacing his fingers into her hair. She relaxed into the kiss, letting her own tongue slide against his, fighting him for control of the kiss.

It certainly wasn’t the case that Sakura had never kissed someone for the purposes of cover before. She’d kissed both Naruto and Kakashi in order to hide the fact that they were spying. She hadn’t had to kiss Sai yet, and she was thankful that Sasuke had left the team before the issue had arisen. But kissing them had never felt like this.

She’d never felt this way when she’d kissed anyone.

The world tilted around her, forcing her to grip Itachi more firmly so she didn’t fall over. Her head spun and her stomach erupted with butterflies as lightning charged through her, stopping in her belly where it warmed her and made her think of that luxurious bed that was waiting back in their room. She felt Itachi pressed against her. The effect of the kiss on him was evident in the firmness she felt pressing into her stomach. It helped, somehow, to know that he was as affected as she was.

When he broke away his eyes were dark and stormy with desire, and a little damp. She was sure she was blushing brightly if the warmth she felt in her cheeks was an indication. He paused for a moment, just a breath away from her mouth and she thought he might kiss her again. Instead he simply groaned, quietly and deeply in his throat before breaking eye contact and pulling her close into a dance. He buried his nose in her hair, close to her ear and whispered. “You’re beautiful when you blush.”

She didn’t think she’d survive another kiss like that, or that groan. She imagined that was the sound he’d make as he undressed her to make love to her. His eyes would run over her naked body as he cast her clothes away and he’d moan with his need to touch her. She needed this man to make love to her. That she knew. Instead, she leaned into him, swaying with the music and letting him guide her across the dance floor.


	9. Under the Moon

The bark of the tree bit into Itachi’s back, he shut his eyes focusing on the pain and ignoring the sound of the shower indicating Sakura was cleaning herself in the bathroom. He needed to forget how amazing Sakura’s body felt, pressed against his, or the soft heat of her mouth. He couldn’t dwell on how beautiful she was, or howmuch he enjoyed spending time with her. This was temporary.

The moment had been perfect and he’d played his role. That’s all this was. A mission. In a few days they’d return to Konoha and go their separate ways. He was sure that was what Sakura wanted, even if it wasn’t was what he or his mother wanted.

And when they got back he was going to call his mother out for her games. He was perfectly capable of choosing his own spouse. He didn’t need a reluctant kunoichi, no matter how talented or beautiful, or how much they’d benefit the clan, thrown at him.

The bathroom door slid open, he could hear her moving around in the room, no doubt getting ready for bed. When she was finished he’d do the same and head for the stiff old horsehair couch in the living room. It would be a long seven nights but he respected Sakura too much to push her any further. And he wasn’t sure he would survive the heartbreak of being any closer to the most perfect woman he’d ever met and then having to let her go.

“Itachi?”

She stood in the doorway, her body perfectly outlined by the light behind her. He shifted, ignoring how tight his pants suddenly seemed. She had a sake bottle and two glasses in her hand. “Emi left this for us, to um, celebrate. Do you want some?”

No, he wanted her in his arms again, her sweet warm mouth pressed to his as their tongues slid against each other. But perhaps sake would ease that need. “It would be a shame to let it go to waste, wouldn’t it?”

She smiled, gliding down into the courtyard to join him. She wore a simple red robe, wrapped around her, secured with a white belt, a single cherry blossom branch embroidered down one sleeve. She handed him a glass as she joined him next to the tree.

“We can move to a bench, if you like.”

“This is perfect. You can see the moon from here.” She pointed up to the far side of the courtyard where a full moon hung just above the roof.

“It couldn’t be more perfect.” He sipped the sake she’d handed him. “Emi went all out this evening.”

“She certainly did.” Sakura sipped her own sake and smiled admiringly. “She even gave us her best sake.”

Itachi felt bad for Emi who was being used in this game his mother had set up. But he felt worse for Sakura. She looked so sad in the moonlight. The earlier glow she’d had when they arrived had faded, worry lines creased her eyes. “Are you tired?”

“Not really.” Her gaze drifted to him and she searched his face. Her brow was creased and her mouth opened and then shut as if she had something to ask him, but was unwilling to say. She looked back up at the moon with a sigh. Maybe she was willing, but afraid.

Fear wasn’t an emotion he’d easily associate with Sakura. She was Lady Tsunade’s apprentice, a feat most kunoichi would have shied away from. But Sakura had faced it head on, training as a medic, a fighter, and taking on duties in hokage tower at the same time. What bothered her so much that she was afraid to talk about it?

Had the earlier kiss offended her? He could still feel her body pressed to his. Her strength had rippled beneath her soft, feminine skin. She’d smelled intoxicatingly sweet as their lips had met. The moment her mouth had opened to his, he’d lost the battle. Her tongue had slid against his, timidly at first and then more boldly as they’d explored each other’s mouths.

There was little doubt his mother was behind this. Had Sakura guessed that too? Was she uncomfortable about it? Her eyes were a deep emerald reflecting the moonlight as she stared at the sky. He had to know how she felt. Was her kiss an act or a reflections of feelings she was afraid to voice?

“Sakura-” he licked his lips, unsure of how to say what he needed to say. He’d never experienced a moment when he didn’t know what to do, not since he’d been a genin anyway.

“Itachi-” she spoke in the moment after him, “I’m sorry. You first.” She met his gaze in the moonlight and smiled, the curl of her lips creating a fire in his belly that he wasn’t sure how to extinguish.

He drank her beauty in for one last moment before he broke the spell. “I have a very strong suspicion that we’ve been set up.”

Her eyebrows flew up in surprise. “You too?”

“I’m sorry for my- what?” He was so intent on apologizing for his conniving mother it took a moment for her words to sink in.

“I’ve been thinking about our assignment and really, Lady Tsunade didn’t need her student and her best ANBU member to go on this mission. We’ve encountered no one yet, unless you count Emi or those thieves.” She smiled wryly at him in the dim light.

“Well, Emi is a formidable opponent, even if she’s not a shinobi.” He smiled back at her, enjoying the sound of her chuckle at his joke.

“She certainly is. Maybe that’s why the Daimyo has never stayed here. He’s afraid of her.”

They enjoyed a moment of laughter at the thought of the Daimyo facing Emi and then Itachi wrinkled his brow. “Unfortunately, I believe you are the victim of my mother’s meddling hands. She and my uncle have been pressuring me, along with the rest of the clan elders, to find a wife so I can assume my place as head of the clan. I think she’s chosen you.”

Sakura stared at her feet, flexing her toes in the lush grass they sat on, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. “How do you feel about that?”

She fidgeted with her robe, sipping slowly from her cup. For the first time since Itachi had met her she looked small and vulnerable. Was she offended by his mother’s interference? Or was there more? His heart pounded at the possibility and he fisted his free hand in his lap in an effort to resist pulling her into his arms before he was sure.

“My feelings are mixed.” His voice was more guarded than he wanted it to be. He’d never been so afraid of an answer as he was at this moment.

She looked up sharply and wrinkled her brow.

“I’ll be honest. I enjoy your company immensely. And I find you very attractive.” He paused as her entire demeanor changed, she relaxed, the lines at her eyes disappearing and her smile returned, gentle and genuine. He refused to let himself believe until she’d heard it all though. “That kiss we shared was, in a word, amazing.”

“Amazing.” Her voice was quiet and full of awe, the look on her face distant. “I hear a but coming though.”

Itachi took a deep breath, this was were it was going to get messy. “I’m angry at my mother, and possibly Lady Tsunade for interfering in my- our lives and trying to push us together. I wish they’d had the sense to just tell us their thoughts and let us decide for ourselves.”

“Would we have though?”

He tipped his head and waited to hear what she had to say. Instead she moved closer to him and took his hand in hers, distracting him from what she might say. He forced himself to stop thinking about holding her and focused on what she was saying.

“-such busy lives. We might not have made time for it.”

“I’ll admit that I’ve been thinking of you since my mother’s party. I’m not sure you’re aware of how difficult a relationship with me might be.”

“If you’re referring to being absent while you’re on missions, I’d understand totally.”

“No I mean as an Uchiha.” She pulled her hand back and looked away from him. So she had thought about that. “Sakura, my clan won’t accept you easily and even when they do they will give you a hard time. Some of them worse than others.”

When she looked back to meet his eyes again it was with determination. “What do you want, Itachi? Has anyone asked you that? Don’t worry about me, or Tsunade, or Mikoto. Tell me what you want.”

Itachi leaned forward, cupping her head with his hand and tipping her face up to his. They were so close he could feel her breath whisper across his cheek. “I want you.” He dipped his head down and brushed a gentle kiss against her parted lips. “What do you want, Sakura?”

She looked deeply into his eyes, her eyes bright and glowing in the moonlight. Her answer came in the form of a kiss, as she pressed her lips to his and met them with her tongue as it sought his out.

Itachi grinned into her mouth and groaned loudly against her. She was definitely the right woman for him. He’d thank his mother later, after he’d given her a talking to for interfering in his life. Right now he was going to make love to Sakura.

* * *

“Bye Mi-chan, see you later!” Sakura waved at the older woman and slipped her hand into Itachi’s as they left the inn. The sun was shining brightly and the day smelled of possibility to her. The inn was at one end of the main street in the village and the road bustled with activity.

“Did you want to eat before we left?” Itachi smiled down at her, pulling her hand up for a kiss. “Or we could grab something to bring with us and find a quiet spot on the road. Though I can’t promise I’ll leave you time to eat.” He dipped his head and buried his face in her neck, kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin below her ear.

She giggled against him and playfully pushed him away. This mission had turned out far different from what she’d expected. Rather than ten days of uncomfortably pretending to be his wife, they’d reveled in the performance. And fallen deeply in love with each other. That fact was bound to make some people in Konoha very, very unhappy. But it delighted Sakura.

So much in fact that she was able to overlook the fact that the important papers they’d been tasked to deliver to the Daimyo had turned out to be a party invitation. The retrieval of said party invitation and it’s delivery had afforded them a lot of down time. Time they’d used getting to know each other very well. Both publicly and privately.

They’d also compared notes and come to the conclusion that both Mikoto and Tsunade were in on this. They were going to confront them with the underhanded methods they’d employed but neither of them were upset with the outcome. Sakura wasn’t naive enough to think that the coming months would be easy as they navigated the beginning of their relationship, but she did hope it wouldn’t be terrible. If she was Mikoto’s choice then maybe his mother would shield her, and Itachi, from some of the backlash they’d get because she wasn’t an Uchiha.

“I don’t need to eat right now, and I’d love to stop in the same village as before.”

“It would be my pleasure.”


	10. Hibiki

Sakura’s neck prickled as soon as she stepped through the door. Itachi’s sharp eyes honing in and making her skin light up with the need to touch him and be touched by him. In the week they’d been back from their fake mission he’d gone on a real mission. She’d missed him and tonight she was going to make up for that.

She was making her way through the crowd, focused on him and memories of his mouth on her body, when her shoulder was bumped hard. The jolt pulled her out of her rather sexy thoughts, chakra gathering in her fist before she realized what she was doing. She quickly released the chakra and turned to apologize, tightening her fist and letting chakra gather again when she saw who it was.

Hibiki stared her down, sharingan spinning in his eyes.

He hadn’t approached her since that evening he’d cast a genjutsu on her, but she’d seen him, watching her when she was in the market, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed that the few Uchiha who still saw her were more surly than usual.

“Sakura,” his voice was so clipped it nearly drew blood, “we are watching you.”

“Hibiki-san,” Sakura pasted on a smile, “if you have a problem with Itachi and I having dinner then I suggest you take it up with him. I do not control who he spends time with.”

In a flash his hand was her arm, his grip hard and bruising. Anger flashed to her belly and she ground out her warning through clenched teeth. “I suggest you let me go. Not even Hibiki Uchiha gets to assault the Hokage’s apprentice.”

“Shut up, you stupid little no—”

“Hibiki, I suggest you take your hands off my girlfriend. Unless you’d prefer me to demonstrate why you shouldn’t be manhandling her in the restaurant.”

Sakura flushed, forgetting Hibiki entirely for a moment as she met Itachi’s gaze. They’d made no attempt to hide their relationship but neither had they announced it. His public declaration made her heart squeeze with nervousness while making her want to jump into his arms at the same time.

The moment was broken, but Sakura knew they’d just crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed. The curve of Itachi’s lips told her all she needed to know as he turned his attention back to the hateful man at her side.

Hibiki’s hand relaxed around her arm, his fingers still wrapped around her firmly. “Itachi—”

“This is not the place to discuss clan business,” Itachi glanced around him, “perhaps we can meet tomorrow? Before the clan meeting.” Itachi slipped his fingers under Hibiki’s hand, spinning his own sharingan at the older man for just a moment and then brushed Hibiki’s hand off her. “Don’t ever lay your hands on Sakura again. You will regret it.”

The warm hum of her chakra soothed Sakura as she healed the bruises Hibiki had caused. She followed Itachi to their table, all too aware of the silence around them. Hibiki had chosen to make this scene here, to embarrass Itachi and cause problems.

“Has he been giving you problems?” Itachi poured water from the pitcher into her glass and signaled the waiter they were ready to order.

Still shaken from the encounter, and reminded of her last encounter with the hateful man, Sakura longed to tell Itachi everything. Instead she smiled at him and shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle. How was your mission?”

* * *

Dust bloomed around Itachi’s feet with each pounding foot step.

Hibiki’s confrontation, at a restaurant no less, and to Sakura instead of himself was the final straw. The man was going to leave her alone, leave him alone, and his whining sniveling genin daughter could cry herself to sleep. With a father like Hibiki she wasn’t likely to find any man willing to marry her anyway.

By the time he’d reached the clans headquarters he’d managed to contain his anger, but it was far from gone. Rather it simmered just below the surface of his usual cool, unruffled demeanor.

“Itachi?”

Shisui’s light tone drew a smile to his face. They served on different ANBU teams and it was rare they got to train together, much less spend time visiting. Too bad this visit would be marred with the arrival of Hibiki.

Itachi turned to greet his cousin, and best friend with a grin.

“I’ve been hearing rumors about you.” Shisui’s smile was mischievous.

Itachi let his shoulders slump with the joke. “It’s true, I was demoted to notating scrolls.”

Shisui wrinkled his brow in confusion. “What? That’s not what I’ve heard.”

Itachi allowed a surprised look to pass over his face. “Oh?”

“You’ve been getting to know a certain pink haired apprentice to the Hokage. Quite well if the rumors aren’t too exaggerated.”

Itachi’s spirit lightened and he felt his face light up at the thought of her. Since their fake mission a few weeks ago they’d spent as much time as possible together. Though it had been broken up by his own missions now that he’d been returned to the work he’d been trained for.

“And I see from your face that it’s true.” Shisui elbowed him. “Spill.”

“There’s nothing—”

“Don’t give me that. You’ve been spending time with the prettiest kunoichi in the village, and, if I heard right, went on a super secret mission with her.”

“One my mother and the Hokage planned. And,” Itachi rolled his eyes at Shisui, “Mother arranged for us to stay in Emi’s Inn.” Shisui joined him in his groan.

It had been underhanded of the Hokage and his mother to push them together the way they had, but he didn’t mind knowing Sakura better. He fell deeper in love with her every day. He heaved a heavy sigh and sat down on the couch, indicating Shisui should join him.

“I have yet to tell my mother what I think of her scheming—” Shisui interrupted his coming rant.

“But?”

“Sakura is— incredible. I never imagined myself falling in love. That week we spent on mission together changed my mind.”

“The great Itachi, toppled by a pink haired nymph.” Shisui’s face became serious. “If your mother is behind this, then she’s cleared it with the other leaders?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think so. I’m sure Daisuke is okay with all this, but--”

“Itachi.” Hibiki’s cold voice grated on his nerves, making his chakra draw to a defensive posture. Beside him Shisui tensed and stood to stand between the two men.

“I see.” Shisui’s summation was perfect.

“As the future leader of the Uchiha clan it’s embarrassing for you to be cavorting with a clan-less whore.” Hibiki spit his words with such venom that even Shisui flinched.

Itachi was on his feet, sharingan spinning. He shoved Shisui aside, and lunged at Hibiki, who sidestepped him as if Itachi were a genin. Shisui pulled at Itachi, yanking him away from the older man. He narrowed his eyes at Hibiki and grit his teeth. Shisui was right, though it irritated him to no end to admit it. It wouldn’t help his case if he attacked the elder here in the headquarters. “If you ever refer to her like that again—“

“You’ll what? Kill me? Won’t that be an excellent smear on your record as leader of the clan.”

As much as Itachi hated to admit it, there wasn’t much he could do without damaging his reputation as leader. He needed the backing of the council to get the old man to back off. And until he had that he needed to grin and bear the taunting Hibiki handed out.

“I will do nothing, until the council decides what they will accept. You are but one old man set in his ways. The clan must move forward into the future and fortunately for Sakura and I, most of the elders agree with that sentiment.”

“It would behoove you to remember that those elders are my peers. They will listen to me before they listen to a uninitiated genin foal like yourself.”

Beside him Shisui choked at the insult, but Itachi let it roll off his back. The man had a point. He didn’t control the elders, but they did respect him. Was it worth it? What sort of life was he condemning Sakura to if they married? What obstacles did their children face in a clan that hadn’t let outsiders in for generations?

* * *

Sakura glanced up from the pile of paperwork on her desk at the tap on her door. She didn’t mind the paperwork, but it did seem to never end. She’d like to get ahead of it someday. Between missions, research and work at the hospital, and her duties as apprentice to Lady Tsunade, Sakura’s to-do list was always longer than she could count.

What would happen if she and Itachi married and she was thrust into clan business as well? Mikoto was very busy with just the clan business. Sakura couldn’t imagine adding one more thing to her list.

And it wasn’t just that. Last nights encounter with Hibiki had bothered her more than she’d let on to Itachi.So she’d not only be adding to her list of responsibilities, she’d be facing down the disapproving elders of a clan so set in its ways one of its elders thought he could physically accost her.

For a split second Sakura wished she and Itachi could just go back to Emi’s Inn and make their life there. Emi had said it perfectly. She’d gotten out of the Uchiha clan as soon as she could.

But that wasn’t an option.

Itachi was set to be head of the clan. And from what he’d said, it was a role he wanted. He longed to see the clan become more moderate, to be a part of moving them into the future. Sure he’d joked about leaving it all to Sasuke, but they both knew Sasuke wouldn’t move the clan forward one bit, even if he didn’t return them to their heathen past.

Pink eyebrows furrowed together as Sakura considered the cost of loving Itachi. Could she afford it?

Only the insistent and louder knock at her door pulled her out of the downward spiral her thoughts were taking.


	11. If Only

Sakura’s feet left deep imprints in the path as she funneled her frustration to her feet in the form of chakra. It had been days since Hibiki had confronted her and she was still angry. Partly because he was interfering in every aspect of her life. Partly because she wasn’t sure he was wrong.

“That’s some pretty impressive stomping you’ve got there.”

Kakashi’s lilting, teasing tone drew her out of her funk enough to turn and smile at him. “Kakashi-sensei.”

“Sakura, we are equals— oh never mind. You never listened that well anyway.”

His lighthearted, but accurate joke brought a grin to her face. It also gave her an idea. “Can I treat you to a cup of tea and some dango?”

Kakashi’s visible eye lit up. “Does this have anything to do with the rumor I hear about you and Itachi?”

An exasperated sigh escaped Sakura but she nodded. “I need your thoughts.”

“Well, far be it from me to pass up a chance to offer useless advice.”

As they wandered toward the dango shop Sakura explained about Lady Tsunade, Mikoto and the fake mission. How by the end of it she and Itachi had both decided they wanted to pursue a relationship together. At the dango shop Kakashi stopped, holding up one finger.

“Let me guess, one of the elders is causing trouble?” He frowned and then followed her to a table.

Once they’d ordered she met his gaze. “Yes. More trouble than you’d think a single man could cause.”

“I don’t know about that. Remember Danzo?”

Chills raced down Sakura’s spine at the memory of the man who’d tried to destroy the village and hurt so many people. “Okay, more trouble than you’d think a typical man could cause.”

“Sakura.” A lightly feminine voice caught their attention from the street.

“Yes?” Sakura turned to answer. She was used to people stopping her at all times of the day and night for medical issues. Genma had once woken her in the middle of the night to heal him rather than deal with the duty medic at the hospital. It surprised her to see six Uchiha girls gathered behind the one who spoke to her. They weren’t ANBU, judging from their appearance they weren’t even ninja. “Can I help you?”

The young girls eyes flashed red for a moment. “You can leave Itachi to me. I won’t give up until he’s mine. And my father won’t either.”

Hoshi. Sakura recognized her from Mikoto’s party. The girls behind her spun their sharingan at her in union, not attempting to use them against her. How was she supposed to deal with this?

She’d asked Lady Tsunade for advice and been told she just had to let it run its course. That no one had yet managed to force Itachi to do something he didn’t want to do. Herself excepted of course.

It wasn’t that Sakura was afraid of losing Itachi. It was the cost of their relationship that concerned her.

Could he love her and serve his clan the way he was expected and wanted to? Could their new love survive the lessons Hibiki, and who knew who else, seemed intent on teaching them? And worse, Itachi had already said he wanted to marry her. Could their marriage weaken a clan that was struggling to keep up with the world around it?

“I have two pieces of advice for you.” Kakashi looked at the girls gathered on the street and uncovered his own sharingan, opening his eye only long enough to remind them of it. “First, if I hadn’t surpassed genin I wouldn’t threaten the Hokage’s apprentice. She will wipe the village with you, and, if you survive, your recovery will be long and slow.”

He let his words sink in before he continued.

“Second, I’d be sure the threats you offer come from the current leadership and not just Hoshi’s father. Hibiki may hold sway but he doesn’t lead the clan. And it would be a terrible decision to set yourself against the woman who does. She could also wipe the village with you, admittedly a bit more slowly.”

Hoshi seemed as surprised as Sakura at Kakashi’s open threat.

“You’re just a thief. Why should I listen to you?” She spat the words at Kakashi.

“It’s your choice. I’ll remind you that this thief, as you called me, is one of the Hokage’s most trusted ninja. And, besides being Sasuke’s sensei, I’m also a good friend of both Itachi and Mikoto. They’ve accepted Obito’s gift to me. That’s enough for me.”

Kakashi was so unruffled. As well trained as Sakura was, the young woman’s threats and implications still left her with a sense of foreboding.

“I’m finding the company here distasteful. Shall we move on?” Kakashi turned to Sakura as if the young women where no longer there.

Sakura stood with a grin and met Hoshi’s eyes. “I’m not the one you should be talking to. I’m sure Mikoto and Itachi will hear your complaints with open ears.”

Dust swirled around Hoshi’s foot as she stomped on the ground and turned to leave.

“See what I’m dealing with sensei?” Sakura let a bit of the whine from her younger years slip into her voice. “It’s everywhere. The few Uchiha I still see are there under Hibiki’s orders to make my life difficult.”

“And probably watch you as well.” Kakashi slipped his headband down over his eye again. “What are you going to do about it?”

Sakura growled at him. It was so like Kakashi to listen and then leave you to find your own answer. What would she do? Did she love Itachi enough to see it through?

* * *

The dirt where Itachi’s feet landed was barely disturbed. The gates to Konoha rose before him.

Home.

Sakura.

The clan.

He let out a heavy sigh. Could he convince the Hokage to send them on another fake mission? He needed the break. And the time with Sakura.

Heat pooled in his groin at the thought of holding her again. It didn’t seem to matter how much time they spent together, it was never enough. Which was why he needed to bring the elder council into agreement with him. Without trickery. He knew well enough he could force their hand, but he didn’t want to start his leadership of the clan with lies.

Was Mother working on them when he wasn’t around? She hadn’t spoken to him about Sakura or the clan in weeks. He had a meeting with her tomorrow morning and was intent on bringing it up.

Hibiki’s final words before the council had filtered into the headquarters last Friday echoed in his head. _How can the council trust a leader who can’t even manage his own life properly?_

It was hateful to admit it, but the old man was right. Itachi couldn’t run to his mother with every little problem expecting her to fix it. If she didn’t see a need to do something, then he’d wait it out too.

Sakura’s door was a welcome reprieve from his dark thoughts. He could hear her inside, humming as dishes clattered. He was home early, having finished his mission more quickly than expected. He looked forward to the pleasant surprise on her face as much as the warmth of her body in his arms.

He turned the knob, releasing the seals Sakura used instead of locks, and slipped inside, replacing them before clearing his throat to make his presence known.

“Itachi!” She nearly dropped the glass she was washing.

Something was wrong. Her brow was knit and in the moment of eye contact she’d given him she’d seemed guarded. He crossed the room in long, even strides, pulling her into his arms for a deep kiss before she could say anything else. He needed this moment of bliss with her, even if it wasn’t going to last.

She was stiff at first, relaxing as his tongue explored her mouth, responding slowly, and then moaning his he hardened against her. Finally she wrapped her arms around this neck, returning his hug.

“I missed you.” The sadness in her voice was unmistakable.

“What’s wrong?” He set her down on her feet and picked up a dish towel to dry the dishes she’d washed.

He only caught a glimpse of the sadness in her eyes before she turned away to finish the dishes. “Nothing. I just missed you too.”

Silence descended over them, companionable but distant in some way. Something was wrong, but Sakura was her own person and very capable. When she was ready she’d speak up.

In the quiet though, Itachi’s mind wandered back to Hibiki and the council. Shisui had done some asking around and Hibiki had more allies on the council than Itachi had thought. If he couldn’t figure out how to sway them to his way of thinking and the future, then his dream of marrying the gorgeous woman beside him might just remain a dream.


	12. Wonderings

He should be hurrying, instead his pace slowed with each step. The closer he got to home, where he needed to shower and dress for the busy day ahead of him, the more he wanted to return to Sakura’s, grab her and run away.

But that wasn’t an option.

He had commitments to the village. His meeting with Tsunade this morning wasn’t a formality. He’d obtained information vital to Konoha’s safety on this last mission. Information previous teams had missed. Itachi didn’t think he was the best, although he did think he ranked among them. Many hands made light work, and the more eyes and talent you have applied to a problem the more likely you are to solve it.

It wasn’t just the village either.

His mother and uncle had both continued to hint, albeit with less pushing than before, that they were ready to retire from leading the clan. Their retirement meant his taking over. Even Hibiki didn’t want a different leader, though he didn’t want the clan leader married to an outsider.

If he shirked his responsibilities there would be men who would step up, but not many of them would push the Uchiha clan to change.

“You must be exhausted. Or dreading the meeting you’re going to.” Shisui’s jibe pulled him out of his crowded thoughts.

“Why is it so hard?”

“Well, when a beautiful woman—”

Itachi punched Shisui in the arm, smiling at the laugh it elicited.

“Ignore them. Do what you want.” Shisui’s tone turned serious. “If you let the clan make this decision for you, you’re dream of helping them advance will fail.”

Shisui was right. But was it possible? If he just did what he wanted would the clan refuse to install him as leader? And how would his mother and uncle handle that? After all this was their idea.

“I wish it seemed as simple to me as it does to you.” Itachi’s head drooped.

“You love her, right?”

Itachi gave his best friend a withering glance, waiting for the rest of his advice.

“So what’s the worst they can do?”

“Hibiki assaulted her the other night when she joined me for dinner.”

“He what?!” Shisui’s eyes were wide. “What did you do?”

“All I could do in a public venue. And then he and I spoke before the meeting. You were there.”

Shisui furrowed his brow, humming as he considered the options.

Itachi waited, Shisui had a playful side but he was also one of the best tacticians Itachi knew.

Finally Shisui met his gaze, lifting his arms in defeat. “I don’t know what to tell you. They want you married, but won’t allow you to choose your bride. If your mother, or the Hokage won’t step in I have no ideas.”

Itachi stopped in front of his house. He wanted to brainstorm ideas with Shisui, but he needed to shower and get to his meetings. It was rare that he was able to choose what he wanted to do. He waved goodbye to his cousin and slipped his shoes off at the door.

The sun had set hours before Itachi was walking home. The moon hung high in the sky, stars sparkling around it.

Sakura was working late, and he was exhausted. He could go back to her place and wait for her. A few weeks ago he would have. But he wasn’t so sure he was doing her any favors by pretending they could work things out with the clan. And he needed time to figure out what his next steps should be.

* * *

Sakura stretched, arching her back and sighing at the pops that relieved the tension hunching over her desk had created.

It was midnight, and she was exhausted, but the paperwork was caught up. Until tomorrow anyway.

Last time she had worked late Itachi had been waiting when she left the hospital. Longing rose in her heart as she crossed the darkened lobby, but the doorway and steps outside it were empty. She shoved the ache in her heart away. If he could be here he would be. Right?

The moon shone down on her, stars twinkled in the sky. Just like they had when she and Itachi had sat out in the courtyard to the room Emi had given them during their mission.

Nothing in her experience compared to that trip. Part of her wished they could do it again, or just go there and stay. But she’d given enough time to that fantasy, and it didn’t do any good to live in a dream. She’d given that up long ago.

It was better she was on her own tonight. She needed to face the prospect of a life without Itachi. She couldn’t handle any more work than she had, and she definitely couldn’t manage it with the pushback the clan was giving him.

Just today Sachiko Uchiha, a chunin working her way up the ranks had been in for her annual sharingan check up. Sakura and Lady Tsunade were the only medics qualified to give them. And Tsunade had claimed she was too busy this month, so Sakura was seeing a lot of them.

The check had gone well. When Fugaku had died and Mikoto came to be in charge she’d opened up the records and allowed Sakura and Tsunade to study the mechanism of sharingan. It had given them the chance to prevent the previously unavoidable loss of vision or the necessary theft of another's eyes.

It wasn’t the check up that had gotten to Sakura. It was the snide remarks at the end of it. She imagined the young kunoichi had been unwilling to tempt Sakura’s temper while she’d had her chakra laced into the woman’s eyes.

“The elders will never approve of you and Itachi.” Her snide comment had been so quiet Sakura had almost missed it.

She’d chosen to ignore it but that hadn’t been enough.

“Your children will never be safe.”

Sakura had stopped writing in the woman’s charts and met her gaze.

“Don’t threaten me with your sharingan. And certainly don’t threaten my future children.” She’d let her gaze burn the woman, gathering chakra in her fist while she stared her down. And then she’d released it. Two could play at this game.“I’m not sure you’re safe for duty or training until I’ve had time to study the results of my exam. I’ll tell Tsunade to take you off to take you off the roster.”

Sachiko had looked at Sakura with such venom that Sakura had second guessed her decision, but then held tight to it. If Hibiki thought it was acceptable to assault her, then she could retaliate with a harmless break in training and duties.

She’d put her back on the roster in a week or two and no harm would be done.

With a huff, Sakura brushed off the foreboding feeling threatening to settle on her in the dark of the night.

“I hope your games aren’t indicative of a new attitude. Your passive-aggressiveness won’t help your case at all.”

Hibiki’s slippery voice made the hairs on her neck prickle. She stopped and turned to find him.

“And what do you think the council will think when they hear of how you’ve harassed me?” She met his gaze, relieved that he wasn’t threatening her with his sharingan. Yet.

“Do you really think the council will care? Do think any of them want Itachi to bring a clan-less no account freak into the clan to mix with our pure Uchiha blood?”

His words stopped her cold. She didn’t honestly know how they felt. As far as she knew Itachi hadn’t yet brought it up to them. Or his mother. Maybe he was having second thoughts?

“Hibiki,” Sakura sighed heavily, “I respect your opinion. Really. It’s been a long day and we both know you aren’t going to do anything besides threaten me. I’m going home to sleep so that tomorrow—“ she looked at her watch, “later today, I’ll be refreshed enough to take care of the ninja who depend on me.”

Hibiki shifted from foot to foot, but didn’t drop his gaze.

“I’m sure you aren’t interested in weakening the village? Even if you want to keep your precious clan in the dark ages.” She smiled sweetly at him and turned to leave.

If he was going to attack her it wouldn’t matter if she was facing him or not. He’d use his sharingan, and no amount of strength would protect her from that.

But his words stayed with her as she made her way to an empty home. Maybe it was better if she let Itachi go so he could lead his clan without the distraction of protecting her, and any children they might have.


	13. A picnic of sorts

Itachi slipped his fingers around Sakura’s warm, soft hand. It was smaller than his but the underlying strength was unmistakable. Besides Tsunade she was the strongest kunoichi in the village, maybe in the world. But was she strong enough? He frowned at himself, the better question was, did she have the right strength to survive a major shift in Uchiha tradition.

“How’s your week been?” Sakura spread a blanket under a tree and settled down to unpack their dinner.

The grass was soft, offering a cushion as Itachi settled down next to her. He rooted through the basket of food, mostly to avoid answering her question.

His week had been horrible, starting from when he’d returned from his mission and spent the night with her.

It wasn’t her fault of course.

Hibiki had stopped him on his way to meet with Tsunade and harassed him about choosing a wife. Hoshi had stood off to the side smiling and posing as if all Itachi was interested in was the arm candy she’d be. Ultimately the only thing Hibiki had accomplished was making Itachi late for his meeting. And not even Itachi got away with that. The resulting tirade from Tsunade had been scathing, leaving him raw and angry.

That had made him late for his meeting with his mother and uncle, which had resulted in a less scathing but still very angry rebuke from both of them. He had stood quietly, waiting for them to ask him for an explanation and when they didn’t, he’d simply moved on.

“Itachi?” Sakura brushed his bangs back to peer into his eyes, drawing him out of his progressively darker thoughts.

“Sorry. My week has been— ah— challenging.”

“Is Hibiki giving you trouble still?”

Something about the tone in her voice and the way she turned away from him as she asked sent a shiver of dread up his spine.

“Has he been bothering you?”

She hesitated just a moment too long. “No, not at all. Well, not much.”

“What has he done?” He spit the words out, leaning into her face and then pulled back. “I’m sorry. That man is determined to keep the Uchiha clan in the dark ages.”

Just this morning Hoshi had appeared at his door with homemade dango. He’d suggested she bring them to an elder who might appreciate them. It was a insult to her and Hibiki, but accepting them made him beholden to her and he wasn’t going to allow that.

“N-nothing. Nothing I can’t handle.” Her laugh was meant to be lighthearted, but it broke off into an uncomfortable silence that they both allowed to linger for far too long.

“I’m sorry.” The words that would save her from this were on the tip of his tongue. Was it too much? Was the price of loving him too high? But he couldn’t bring himself to ask. He couldn’t bring himself to walk away. Not yet. Though he suspected it was inevitable.

“Have you talked with Mikoto about it?”

Her question was fair. As acting head of the clan Mikoto should be the one to deal with Hibiki. But Itachi had never run to his mother with his problems, and he wasn’t going to start now.

“How’s work at the hospital been? Any missions lately?”

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, but didn’t question his change of subject. “I had a quick mission to a nearby town, to gather some ingredients and treat one of their residents. Other than that work has been routine.” She shrugged and started laying out food. “Are you ready to eat?”

* * *

Sakura packed up the last of the food and took the folded blanket from Itachi.

“I’m really glad we got this time. When do you leave again?” Sakura hid the sadness she felt at Itachi’s distance with a pale smile. She leaned into him as his lean strong arms wrapped around her.

“I’m home two more days and then I’m gone at least a week. I think Tsunade knows when I become clan leader I won’t be as available and she’s trying to get as much out of me as she can before that happens.”

Sakura smiled into his shoulder, relishing the feel of him against her. She missed falling asleep beside him after making love. Would he come home with her tonight? Should she discourage it?

If he wasn’t willing to talk to Mikoto about Hibiki and the rest of the problems they were facing— Did it mean he’d changed his mind and didn’t know how to tell her?

She tipped her head up, their lips meeting in a tender, almost sad kiss.

“Sakura—“ Itachi let his voice trail off.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not. I want to be with you, and I’m not sure how to make that happen anymore.”

He was going to be the head of the clan. Couldn’t he just say what he was going to do and do it? But Sakura knew better. Going against the majority meant he’d never get anything done. And his mission with the clan was more important than anything. Even his own happiness.

“I understand.” She smiled as warmly as she could and pulled herself out of his arms. “I need to get home. My shift starts at midnight and I should get a nap in before I go.”

“Midnight?”

Sakura busied herself with the basket and folding the blanket. She needed the space. If he looked her in the eye he’d see the truth. She needed him to reassure her of his love. And he didn’t seem willing to do that.

“Good night Itachi.” She reached up on her tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his lips and ran her hand down his arm. “I’ll miss you.”

She saw it in his eyes, felt it in his kiss, he didn’t believe her. But she wasn’t ready to walk away. Not yet. Though she suspected it was inevitable.


	14. I can't

Sakura brushed the tears off her cheeks and gripped the knob of the broom closet, just two doors down from her office. She glanced furtively up and down the hallway.

Empty.

She thanked the gods and slipped inside, pulling the door shut just as voices came around the corner.

Shoes brushed quietly against the floor. They must be ninja. Had they come to see her? She concentrated on the sounds as a muffled knock sounded through the walls. Then silence. She held her breath, unsure how skilled they might be and not wanting to be discovered hiding in a broom closet with tears streaking her face.

A muffled, “She must be on a mission,” followed by the higher pitch of her medic assistant.

“Oh no, Sakura-sensei is in today. Check the labs.” The younger girls high pitched voice bouncing off the walls of the hallway was joined by the clicking of her heels as she hurried on to her destination.

“The lab?” A deeper voice she didn’t recognize spoke up.

And the soft brush of their shoes faded down the hallway as they went in search of the lab.

Sakura let out the breath she’d been holding in a soft sigh of relief.

Was it cowardly to be hiding in a broom closet so she could cry? She was better than this. Wasn’t she?

Tsunade had taught Sakura many things, but she’d never taught her how to protect herself from a broken heart.

This morning had been the final straw. Hibiki had come in with one of his cronies and while his friend leaned on the door and prevented interruption Hibiki had roughed her up.

Oh, he hadn’t laid a hand on her. He’d drawn her into a genjutsu, showing her beautiful little Uchiha children with pink hair and green eyes being slaughtered, one after another. He’d shown her Uchiha children teasing and bullying her children, parents spitting on the ground behind her and her children. When he’d finally released her she’d sat, tears soaking her face while he quietly left the office.

And here she was, hiding while she got a hold of herself and made the decision that was going to break her heart.

She’d never love again. Not like she loved Itachi. She didn’t even try to fool herself into thinking she’d get over him. There was no getting over the man who’d stolen her heart with a well planned lunch, a soft hand behind her when she was feeling unsure, a smile or laugh when she was celebrating, and of course the loving. Sex with Itachi was incredible.

She comforted herself with the knowledge that Tsunade had survived her own heartbreak and seemed fine. Sort of. Okay, not at all, but Tsunade had much more heartbreak than a single broken relationship. Sakura might catch up to her, but that was worry for another day.

For now she had to gather herself together and end it now, before she lost her nerve.

* * *

Itachi sat at the dango shop watching Sasuke fiddle with the last dango on his plate. Perhaps he was practicing some new skill that didn’t involve actually eating it?

He was waiting for his brother to answer his question. A request that meant everything to Itachi. It was a sacrifice, Itachi had acknowledged that, but he himself had given so much for Sasuke to have the life he wanted. Surely Sasuke could give in this one area?

He sipped his cold tea and considered ordering more dango, or eating the one Sasuke seemed intent on murdering. But his stomach ached with the decision he needed to make.

It had to be made today. Two days from now was the annual Clan meeting, at which all important business would be brought to the floor and voted upon. If he was to change the clan laws before he had to make a decision about Sakura, and unfortunately Hoshi, it had to be then.

He’d tried to bring it up to his mother and uncle last night when he’d had dinner with them, but the moment had never seemed right. It irked him to feel like he needed to bring his problems to her or Daisuke.

It irked him to bring them to Sasuke, but he needed at least one ally, besides Shisui, at the meeting.

“Sasuke?”

His brothers lidded gaze shifted up to his lazily. The look on his face told Itachi everything. His heavy sigh punctuated it.

“I can’t. Father—“

“Father isn’t here to run the clan anymore.” Itachi spat the words at the table. “It’s my job to ensure we don’t get left behind, forgotten as a relic of the past.”

“It will be your job.” Sasuke’s lips curled with disdain.

“I—“

“Need to get married. I know.” Sarcasm soaked his words. “Don’t you think it’s better to make small steps than it is to force them over a cliff?”

“Is this because you hate her?” Itachi ground the words out, quiet enough that the people around them only knew they were disagreeing on something, not what they were arguing about.

Sasuke stabbed the fated dango with his toothpick one final time, leaving it deflated and bleeding sweet red bean paste onto his plate before he looked up Itachi again. “It’s because I believe in the purity of the Uchiha Clan.”

Cold fear washed over Itachi as he watched his younger brother rise from the table and walk away without saying goodbye. If he got this kind of pushback from his own brother, what would the rest of the clan do? How would they treat Sakura if he forced her on them?

He couldn’t do that.

He rose to leave, ignoring the murdered dango Sasuke had left behind. Dropping some change on the table for their tip he made his way out of the restaurant and moved towards home.

His mind swirled with thoughts and ideas. He didn’t have to accept leadership. But if he didn’t it was likely to go to someone more traditional than he was, like Sasuke. Though Sasuke had said he wasn’t interested. Itachi wasn’t convinced by his brothers feigned indifference.

His path home would take him past the hospital. He should stop and tell her now about the decision he had to make. Putting it off would only make it harder.

As the hospital came into view he felt his strength waver. No one had ever understood him the way Sakura did. No one had ever met him, word for word, thought for thought, and punch for punch the way she did.

“Itachi!” Sakura’s breathless call made his body prickle with awareness.

He turned to answer her and stopped dead in his tracks.

Sakura was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Today her beauty was marred only by intense sorrow. Her eyes were rimmed with red, cheeks shiny and flushed. For a moment he wanted to pull her into his arms, pretend it wasn’t him causing her this pain. For a moment he wanted to grab her and run from the village.

But they’d both committed to support Konoha from a young age. From the moment they’d chosen to take genin to the next level. Abandoning it wasn’t in their cards.

She stood quietly in front of him, staring up into his eyes. Her expression unreadable other than its sadness. He knew what he had to do.

“Sakura—“

“Let me go first, please Itachi.” She waited for him to assent.

Was anyone going to let him finish a sentence today? He let the frustration wash over him and shrugged it off. His frustration was nothing next to the pain he could see in her eyes.

“Itachi—“ her voice broke, warbling as she tried to keep herself from crying, “I—“

“I know.” This time he interrupted her. “I can’t make you.”

Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over and running down her cheeks, clearly not for the first time today. He brushed his hand over them, wiping them away.

“Sakura, I am so sorry.” The back of his teeth ached with the need to cry. He gritted it back, swallowing a lump so big he thought he’d choke on it. He could be strong for her and deal with his pain in private. Maybe Shisui would share a few bottles of sake tonight. It wasn’t often Itachi drank, and almost never to the point of numbness, but tonight it seemed appropriate.

“I know.” Pink tresses bobbed against her shoulders. She didn’t raise her eyes to him again. “I— I need to go.”

The wet drops on the ground at her feet told him all he needed to know. She wasn’t going to burden him with her breakdown. Though he would willingly bear that burden, he knew it was for the best.

He watched her fade into the distance before he started toward home again. It didn’t matter that the clan wouldn’t accept Sakura. He was changing the laws so no one else had to suffer like this again.


	15. How will I live without you?

Sakura bumped into Kakashi as she stumbled out of the bar. For a moment she was confused because both his eyes were visible, and then she blinked and he had only one again. She blinked hard trying to figure out why he’d had two and now had one again.

“You okay?”The concern in his voice irritated her to no end.

Her fist tightened at her side, gathering chakra in it. She met his gaze, only vaguely aware of the threat gathering at her hip.

“Whoa, Sakura. It’s me. Your favorite sensei.” Kakashi gripped her shoulders and pushed her back a step, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

“Is she going to attack you?” The voice came from the shadows behind him, familiar, but not familiar enough to identify in the fog that enveloped her mind.

It was a well deserved fog. When the bartender had cut her off she’d managed to get Ino to buy her a few more before he’d caught on and asked her to leave.

“She’s fine. And I can handle anything she throws at me.” Kakashi’s voice wavered. “I think.”

Sakura grinned at him, raising one eyebrow. “Want to test that theory?”

A spar might be fun. She peered over his shoulder but the shadows enveloped his companion. “Your date can join us too. If she’s a jonin of course. I’m not allowed to spar with anyone else.”

A chuckle sounded from behind Kakashi, deeper than it should have been and Shisui emerged from the shadow. “I’ll pass. But given your condition I’m thinking I should check on my cousin.”

Kakashi nodded at the only Uchiha Sakura couldn’t bring herself to hate. “That’s a good idea. I have a former student that needs some attention anyway. Thanks for the practice and the offer of a drink. It’s been a while since my Sharingan hasn’t saved my sorry ass.”

Sakura tried to flick Kakashi’s grip off her while he watched Shisui disappear and failed. When he turned back to her she was growling and gathering chakra in both fists.

“Now, now, I do believe Tsunade has a rule against drunk chakra punches, usually.” He wrinkled his forehead and scratched his head with a free hand. “And we’re friends Sakura. I’m here to help.”

His teasing tone seemed to calm her, though she couldn’t say why.

She stared up at him, her growl shifting to a hiccup. Her lip quivered and she blinked back the tears she’d been fighting all night. She didn’t even fight him when he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her to his chest. She just let go and cried.

Kakashi let her cry herself out and when she’d finished he led her to the memorial explaining it was private and quiet, especially in the middle of the night.

“I think I know the answer, but why don’t you tell me what happened.”

His no nonsense tone bolstered her, until she started talking.

“It’s over.” She let the words hang in the still air of the field covered by the graves of ninja who had given their lives for the village. If she laid down here, would the ground absorb her too?

“I see.”

“I don’t want to live without him.” She whispered the desperate words, immediately wishing she could take them back.

“Sak—“ Kakashi sighed and lay back and stared up at the stars. “Do you mean that?”

Did she? The sake haze in her mind clouded her answer. She smacked her lips, her cottony tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. Why had she drunk so much? What did it prove? She shook her head to clear it, sending healing chakra through herself to get rid of the drunkeness and resulting headache.

“I don’t know.” She flopped back on the ground beside Kakashi wincing at a stone that stabbed her in the back but leaving it there. It was appropriate tonight. The village, no the Uchiha clan was stabbing her in the back with their shitty traditions. And she, the apprentice of a legendary Sannin, was too weak to fight it. And too weak to walk away.

The stars twinkled down at her. The world would move on. And she would too. She’d still be the one to treat the now hated Uchiha, even Itachi himself probably. Could she do it? Could she face him in daily life knowing what she’d walked away from because she was too weak to fight tradition?

“I don’t know, Kakashi-sensei.” Her voice sounded small and weak to her in the dark. Tsunade would be so disappointed.

* * *

Itachi sat in his living room staring at the images of the former Uchiha clan leaders and Konoha Hokage’s before him.

Had they faced decisions like the one he’d been forced to make today? Had they made the sacrifices he was being asked to make?

At dinner earlier, alone with his mother, he’d hinted at the problems he and Sakura had faced when she’d asked about their relationship.

“How is Sakura doing?” She’d sipped her tea and watched him closely.

His answer had been honest if incomplete. It still bothered him to run to his mother with his problems. “She’s as well as can be expected, given the situation.”

“Her work at hospital is continuing?”

He’d declined the plate of dango she offered him noting her surprise. “Sakura is a very capable woman. She exceeds expectations at every turn.”

“Indeed.”

After that they had remained silent, reflecting on their own thoughts until he’d risen to leave.

At the door she’d tipped her cheek up for a kiss that he’d dutifully planted and said, “If there were problems, you’d tell me?”

Hope had sprung up in his chest, but he’d been too wary. “Problems with what, Mother?”

“I don’t know, problems. Between you and Sakura, or otherwise.”

Her question had been too vague for him to launch into clan politics. And now he regretted it. He also regretted the sake he’d drunk to soften the blow of losing Sakura to a role he didn’t particularly want.

There was a solution.

It had been offered to him by Danzo just before the uprising that had killed his father.

Even in the sake induced haze filling his mind he knew he couldn’t take that path. It wouldn’t solve anything, just as it wouldn’t have solved anything when Danzo had suggested it.

He could kill Hibiki though. He could draw him out into the forest and make it look like an accident.

Except no one was likely to believe that.

Itachi rose to his feet. There was another way. It might not fix everything but it would ensure he didn’t have to marry that empty-headed twit.

He stumbled twice on the way to the door, fumbled with the handle and then fell flat on his ass trying to put his shoes on. None of that convinced him it would be better to go back inside and sleep it off.

He was shuffling his way down the street, backtracking again because he’d made another wrong turn. He was determined to find Sachiko and propose to her. If she accepted he could announce it at the meeting tomorrow and it would be a done deal.

“‘Tach…”

The nickname was hardly ever used since he'd been promoted to jonin. Itachi stopped and turned, peering into the inky night and tensing when a pair of sharingan stared back at him. He called on his own sharingan only to have it waver and fade. Damn sake.

“Whoa,” Shisui slipped out of the shadows, “what have you been up to tonight, my friend?”

Itachi just stared back at him, his chest heaving as he tried to gather the thoughts racing around his mind.

Shisui inhaled deeply and curled his lip. “I'd say you and Sakura had the same idea tonight.”

Itachi’s pulse pounded at the mention of her. She was suffering as well. Was she okay?

Shisui looped his arm around Itachi’s neck, nearly knocking him down as he turned him around. “Let’s get you home before you do something you regret in the morning. Friends don’t let friend make life changing decisions while their lit up like a Christmas tree.”

Shisui’s words confused Itachi. Was it Christmas? He tried to remember what his calendar had said the last time he’d looked at it and drew a blank.

Shisui was right. It should irritate him more than it did, but he couldn’t find it him to fight the man who’d stand at his side through anything.

They’d just turned down his street when a man appeared in the distance, ambling toward them.

Itachi squinted, trying to determine who it was and if he was a threat, but he couldn’t focus enough to grasp anything from what he saw. It was Shisui who recognized him.

“Shikamaru my friend!” Shisui stopped, making sure Itachi was balanced before letting go of him.

Itachi wavered, but held himself up and waited as Shikamaru approached them. What was he doing in the Uchiha district? He took a quick glance around them to determine they were in fact still in the district, relaxing when he recognized familiar buildings.

“Shisui, Itachi.” The younger man’s calm, laid back tone settled Itachi’s nerves for some reason. The way he looked Itachi up and down did not.

“Shika—“

“I have something to say to you Itachi.” Shikamaru held up his hand to silence Itachi. “It may not be easy to hear, and it may make you angry at me.” He glanced at Shisui as if to gauge who he’d help and then looked back at Itachi.

“I saw Sakura at the bar with Ino tonight. And judging by her state I think I know what’s happened.” Shikamaru paused and wrinkled his brow. “I know your clan has expectations of you but if you let them rule you on this, you will never be their true leader.”

Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and made to turn away, but stopped himself and looked back at them. “Oh yeah, one lesson Asuma taught me well was to protect the king. The king isn’t who you think it is.”

Itachi watched him walk away, his mind swimming with questions. Finally he gathered his thoughts enough to ask one of them. “Shikamaru?”

He waited until the younger man looked back at him.

“Who is the king?”

“The children.”

Itachi was more confused than ever, but he didn’t stop Shikamaru again. He just let Shisui lead him home and push him into bed.

He was just at the edge of sleep when the meaning of Shikamaru’s words hit him but he was too tired to wake up and do anything.


	16. Bold Decisions

Itachi groaned at the light pouring in his window and rolled over, burying his head under a pillow to deaden the pain.

He groaned again as the memories of last night came back in fragments that he couldn’t piece together. This is why Tsunade had a rule against drinking on mission.

Had he proposed to Sachiko? Gods, he hoped not. He sat up in bed, settling his feet on the floor and knocking a glass of water over in the process.

He watched the water flow over his discarded pants dispassionately. They needed to be washed anyway.

Resting his elbows on his knees to hold his aching head he leaned over and closed his eyes against the light. If Sakura were here she could no doubt heal him, but that wasn’t ever going to happen. Was it?

The damnable clan was seeing to that.

Footsteps outside his door made him tense. He tried to rise, with the idea of facing the possible threat, and sat back onto the bed as the door slid open.

“Ah, you've risen from your slumber.”

Shisui’s cheery voice grated on his nerves, but he suspected his cousin was here because he’d saved Itachi’s ass last night. Shisui and Shikamaru? That didn't make any sense. Why was he remembering Shikamaru?

“Please tell me I didn’t do anything I’ll regret.” The words echoed through his head, reverberating inside his skull and making the ache worse. He winced, why had he spoken so loud?

Shisui bowed before him. “You’re welcome. Don’t speak, take this.”

Itachi narrowed his eyes at Shisui but took the tablets and a fresh glass of water from him.

“You, my fine friend, need a shower.”

“I can’t sleep more?”

“No, your mother is expecting you for lunch.” Shisui grinned with his announcement. Itachi considered punching him.

“I need to sleep more before that happens.” Itachi set the glass down on the floor, next to the spilled one, and flopped back on his bed.

“Oh no my fine friend. You need to be at your mothers in half an hour.” Shisui, probably the only man in the city that dared provoke Itachi, pulled him back to sitting.

“How late did I sleep?” Itachi stretched his neck and rubbed it.

“It’s noon.”

Half an hour later a slightly more presentable Itachi found himself deposited at his mother's front door. The shower had cleared most of the fog from his mind. More importantly, that cleared fog had brought back the memory of talking with Shikamaru last night.

“Itachi!” His mother met him with her usual smiles and ushered him in.

Why had she asked for this? They’d just had dinner last night. He rarely saw her more than once a week, unless there was business that needed taking care of.

He supposed it was right he was here then. Because there was business to take care of. It was business that required some careful negotiation though.

He followed his mother into her dining room surprised to see the table set for six, with his Uncle Daisuke and Sasuke already seated.

The table was filled with a spread set for a king, or, he supposed, the head of a clan.

“Please sit down.” She pointed at the seat he usually filled. “We felt, with the clan meeting tomorrow, this was a good idea. We're glad you suggested a meeting. We can discuss plans and possible changes coming up.”

Itachi poured himself some tea and watched the people at the table. This was like the Shogi game Shikamaru had referenced last night and he needed to plan his moves carefully. Because he did have a plan.

Sasuke sat to his right, sipping tea, waiting but not making eye contact. His uncle sat to the right of his mother, also sipping tea. Daisuke was watching the brothers thoughtfully, as if he had something he wanted to say and was waiting for the right moment.

“What— who are we waiting for?”

A scuffle at the door took his attention and his mother hurried out to answer it. Itachi’s blood ran cold when Shisui returned with Hibiki at his side. 

His mother refused to start conversation until everyone had tea in their cup and food on their plate. When she was satisfied with everyone’s meal she sat down herself and exhaled loudly.

“I believe I'm speaking for Itachi when I say you are all here because the Uchiha clan is about to experience some big changes. And as leaders in the community we need to show a united front.” She smiled at Daisuke and then at everyone else, stopping to stare into Hibiki’s eyes.

Hibiki, to his credit, met her gaze and then dropped his to the table in respect.

Itachi watched her with narrowed eyes. Was she going to force his hand? Force him to refuse Hoshi here, in front of Hibiki? He wouldn’t hesitate.

The health of the clan mattered more than anything. Wasn’t that what Shikamaru had been saying last night?

Itachi looked around the table. Hibiki glowered at him, but remained silent. Next to him Sasuke was focused on the omurice their mother had served. Shisui was smiling at him, tilting one eyebrow up as if to ask Itachi what he would do now. And Daisuke and Mikoto had shared a glance and then met his gaze.

Suddenly, his course of action was more clear to him than any choice he’d ever had to make. He didn't remember calling this meeting, and he wasn't entirely convinced he had, but it afforded him exactly the opportunity he needed. What he had to say, and the actions he would take were going to hurt many people. But change always did, didn’t it?

Itachi smiled at Shisui and nodded. The silent code they’d developed to indicate the next moves where going to be significant. Shisui’s grin told Itachi he understood.

His mother opened her mouth, shutting it when he held up his hand and stood.

“I have something to say.” He waited until they’d all looked to him.

“You all expect me to take leadership of the Uchiha Clan. A clan that has traditionally been behind all it’s allies in how they manage themselves.” He tipped his head and waited as Hibiki considered arguing, not speaking until it was clear the older man would remain silent.

“All of you expect me to continue bringing us closer to Konaha, both with my actions, as I have been, and with the policies I will develop and put in place. Am I right?”

Nods and mumbles of assent circled the table.

“And I assume, Mother and Uncle, that tomorrow you intend to announce my engagement and leadership so you may retire.”

Tears shone in his mothers eyes and for the first time he realized how sorry she was for the burden she had put on him. A few weeks ago he would have used that against her. But Shikamaru’s wise words last night had changed everything.

“And I assume that we can all agree that the future of the Uchiha Clan lies within our children?”

Shisui slapped the table as he nodded and suddenly Itachi realized their meeting with Shikamaru hadn’t been fate.

“As the incumbent leader of the clan I am making a decision, I hope you, mother and you, uncle, will approve and support me in this. And I expect you, Hibiki, to abide by the decisions made at this table. Any attempts to undermine the decisions made today will be seen as treason.” He met Hibiki’s and Sasuke’s eyes and waited for them to agree.

“Thank you. At the meeting this evening I will be announcing my acceptance of leadership.”

“But you’re not married.” Hibiki protested, smirking at him.

Itachi sent him a withering look. “I will also be announcing my engagement.”

* * *

Sakura rolled over in bed. Kakashi had dropped her back at her apartment with the promise that she’d call him before she got drunk again. She’d crashed, and crashed hard.

At least she had the day off, a rare occurrence for her.

She stared up at the ceiling trying to imagine the future she was facing. She’d had her breakdown and now she had to get out the big girl kunai and make things work.

She didn’t want to though. She wanted to hide away and pretend she’d never fallen in love. She certainly wasn’t going to do it again. Not only would she never meet anyone like Itachi again, she was never going to open her heart like that either. It hurt to much when you lost.

With a groan she stood and made her way to the kitchen to rummage through her fridge for breakfast and was sorely disappointed to find she had nothing. At least nothing she could eat. She grimaced as she dumped spoiled food into the trash.

An hour later she was showered and slipping into a seat at the tea shop, trying to forget about having tea here with Itachi just a few weeks ago.

She gave her order to the waitress and then watched the people outside as they made they way up and down the street, running errands and hurrying back to home or work.

“Hey Forehead.”

Ino’s greeting brought a smile to her face and she turned to greet her. “Good morning Ino.”

Her former foe wrinkled her forehead in confusion as her breakfast was set on the table. “Have you been working triples again? Or did you drink more after you got kicked out last night?” It’s four-o'clock in the afternoon.”

Sakura’s eyes flared and then narrowed. They might be friends but she wouldn’t put it past Ino to mess with her. She looked around the restaurant for a clock, giving up when Shikamaru slid into the booth next to Ino.

“Sorry I’m late.” He gave no further excuse but he did glance down at his watch. “It is four, Sakura.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say, staring into her tea instead. It felt as if the rules of life had changed and no one had given her the update. She’d felt like this a little when she and Itachi had decided to date despite his clan rules but they’d faced it together. And now the rules had changed again and left her alone.

She didn’t want to be alone. Dammit!

Across the table Shikamaru cleared his throat and she looked up at him.

“It’s none of my business, but have you always cared what other people thought?” His gaze pierced her like the kunai she’d been thinking about earlier.

“I—“ did she? Certainly when she’d been young she’d cared, but somewhere along the way she’d stopped worrying. Probably around the time she’d mastered chakra punches with Tsunade. It wasn’t that she thought she was better than anyone, just that she knew her own worth. Knew what she contributed and that it counted.

That thought made her brain tickle but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly why. She contributed in plenty of places in the village; Team 7 counted on her for her strength and healing ability, the hospital counted on her not only for healing and medical care but for the research she did as well, and Tsunade counted on her opinions almost as much as she counted on Shizune.

“I didn’t think so.” Shikamaru’s voice was smug. “If I may, can I ask you a question you don’t want to hear?”

Sakura glanced back and forth between Ino and Shikamaru, confused. Ino nodded her head encouragingly so Sakura met Shikamaru’s gaze and nodded her own head.

“Why do you suddenly care so much? To the detriment of your own future?”

Sakura sipped at her tea, her meal forgotten as she considered Shikamaru’s question.

Why did she care? Did she really think Hibiki could make her as miserable as he said he could? They both knew she could wipe the floor with him if she wanted. She’d held back out of respect for Itachi and the village. Did she think Itachi would allow their children to be bullied and abused?

_Why had they never discussed this?_

Itachi was one of the most capable ninja, if not the most capable, in the village. Why had she tried to protect him from the knowledge that Hibiki, and other Uchiha, had been harassing her? She hadn’t even given him a chance to fix it, just assumed he wouldn’t.

Suddenly she knew what she had to do. And she knew she didn’t have much time. Was the clan meeting today or tomorrow? "What day is it?" 

Ino raised one brow at her, but she answered. "It's Sunday. Why?" 

She scrambled out of her seat, unusually awkward and had taken three steps away from the table before realizing she hadn’t even excused herself. She turned back to them.

“I’m sorry— I mean—“

“Go already Forehead. Time’s a-wasting.” Ino flicked her hands toward the door and blew her a kiss. “You got this girl.”

Sakura barely heard her. She was out the door and running full speed down the street before Ino had finished speaking.


	17. Looking

Itachi was working hard to keep a pleasant expression on his face. He didn’t want to scare the children he passed in the street. But it’s hard to be pleasant when you’re looking for someone who can’t be found.

He needed to find her, now. The clan meeting was in two hours and she needed to be there.

* * *

Sakura’s hands shook as she knocked on Mikoto’s door. She’d looked everywhere, if he wasn’t here she was going to have to give up. Maybe he didn’t want to be found? Maybe it was a sign that she should leave things be.

“Sakura?”

Sasuke’s confusion drew her out of her reverie.

“Oh... Sasuke…” she wrung her hands behind her back and bit her lip. “Have you seen Itachi?”

“He was here for lunch.”

Sasuke’s pause was so long she thought she might have to drag more information out of him. Or punch it. That would definitely be more fun.

“He ran off, without even finishing lunch. My mother wasn’t happy.”

“Really?” Sakura wrinkled her forehead. “Why? Oh never mind. When is the clan meeting?”

Sasuke glanced at his watch. “In two hours.”

Sakura’s shoulder sank. She wasn’t going to find him in time. And he was going to be forced to propose to that simpering little girl before she could tell him she didn’t care about the obstacles. Sakura blinked back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

“You have time to find him.” The encouragement in Sasuke’s voice surprised her. “He’s probably been to all the places you usually go, so try the places you probably don’t go.”

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her former teammate unsure if she should trust him or not.

“If you don’t find him, come back here in an hour and a half. I’ll take you to the meeting.”

Sakura was sure she’d heard him wrong, but the honesty in his eyes was reminiscent of their early days, when they’d been friends.

* * *

Itachi paced the front of the clan hall, vibrating with frustration. The clan was gathering for the meeting and he’d failed in his search.

Sakura was either out of the village, or hiding from him. Maybe this was for the best.

“Itachi-san, it’s nice to see you stepping into your father’s shoes.” The elder bowed in front of him. “I offer you my service and loyalty.”

“Thank you.” Itachi’s smile was genuine, if a little tight. Many of the elders had approached him with such greetings before finding their seats. 

“Did you find her?” Shisui sidled up beside him, whispering the words so quietly that only they could hear them.

He shook head, shoulders drooping. He could do this. It might not be what he wanted, but who was he to question fate? His first loyalty was to the Uchiha clan, wasn’t it?

“Itachi?”

He forced himself to focus on the room, meeting his mother’s eyes and hoping he didn’t look as broken as he felt. When he’d foiled Danzo’s plans he thought he’d beat fate, but apparently fate had just been waiting to catch him in its snare again.

“Mother.” He nodded his head at her, hoping she didn’t want to talk.

“You left without eating anything.” She held out a small bag. “You shouldn’t do this on an empty stomach.”

Itachi took the surprisingly light bag, distracted by Hibiki’s entrance at the back of the hall. Hoshi slunk in behind him, her face swollen and red. She cast a sulky glance at Itachi and then slumped into a seat in the last row, glaring angrily at her father when he spoke and pointed to the front of the room.

He handed the bag off to Shisui absently and headed towards the back of the room. He had a crow to eat before he could think about anything else. And it was going to be a sour crow if the sneer on Hoshi’s face as she watched him approach her was anything to go by.

He stopped in front of her, hesitating so he could gather his last vestige of self-respect. He was resigning himself to a lifetime of misery, but the clan would be whole, and he’d be a good leader. He knew that much.

“Hoshi.” He tilted his head toward her, smiling so tightly he thought his lips might snap like a rubber band.

She glanced up at him, pure hatred lacing her eyes. Perhaps he should reconsider his plan? If he’d accepted Hibiki’s suggestion weeks ago, she would have been difficult to live with. Now, after all that had passed, she was going to make him miserable.

“Itachi.” It was a wonder snow didn’t come out of her mouth with his name.

“I—“ the raised murmur of voices made him glance up to see his brother coming through the door, with… Sakura? Sasuke was holding firmly to Sakura’s wrist and ignoring the terrified look on her face.

What kind of game was Sasuke playing? Was this his idea of a joke? A new way to humiliate his older brother? This time his younger brother was going to be reminded why picking on your older, more talented brother was a bad idea.

“Itachi!” Sakura’s sweet voice washed through the hall, the low rumble of voices ending abruptly as everyone quieted to watch whatever drama might play out in the next few minutes.

Itachi feasted his eyes on her beauty as Sasuke dragged her over to him. Even disheveled and frightened she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“I realized this morning. You're right. You can thank me later.” Sasuke’s voice was quiet and gruff as he held Sakura’s wrist out for Itachi. “She’s not here against her will, just scared.”

Itachi wrapped her cold hand in his, pulling her close to him. This hadn’t been part of his plan, but if fate wanted him to bare his heart in front of the entire Uchiha clan, who was he to argue?

“Itachi—“

“Sakura—“ They spoke at the same time and he stopped to avoid speaking over her, returning her wry smile. “Let me go first.”

She nodded, following him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the front of the room. Once there he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I will explain more later, please just nod your head if you’re here because you love me.”

His heart beat heavy and painful in his chest and then leapt with excitement. Her nod was slight, but certain. He returned her nod and then turned to room, holding her hand in his.

“If you’d all find a seat.” His voice boomed through the silent room. Everyone was watching them. He met their gazes and waited.


	18. An announcement

Sakura watched the many Uchiha’s mill about as they found seats. Her heart was pounding in her chest, chakra gathering in her hands and feet from the nervousness of the moment. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Beside her, Itachi was quiet, peaceful almost. He squeezed her hand, glancing at her and then back at the room.

When everyone was sitting he cleared his throat.

“You all know why we’re here today.” He waited for the mumbling to subside before continuing. “I will assume my duties as clan leader. I have no doubt that many of you will disagree with decisions that I make, policies I update, and other changes I bring to the clan. I will remind you that if the Uchiha Clan is going to compete in the modern world we need to accept some change. We cannot cling to the old ways and demand to be considered a modern clan.”

“What’s she doing here?” “She’s not an Uchiha!” “This is a private meeting! She needs to leave!”

Unidentified voices echoed in the room. Sakura held his hand firmly, sidling a little closer to him. The hostility rolling off the crowd in front of them was choking.

When she’d been searching for him, determined to tell him it didn’t matter what odds they faced, she didn’t want to live without him, she’d forgotten how hateful they could be. She’d forgotten how bitterly they’d fight to prevent a non-Uchiha from marrying into the clan.

She squeezed Itachi’s hand and glanced up at him, her heart swelling when he met her gaze. Time stopped, the dull roar of the room drifting away as she saw their future in his eyes. His sharingan spun, drawing her in and showing her a room of people smiling at her as she chased little pink haired Uchiha’s. “Trust me.”

Sakura nodded her head and broke the genjutsu to turn and face the room. The voices rising to a deafening level. She gathered her nerves and then let her best Tsunade roar over them.

“It’s time to pay attention!” She was polite in her insistence.

Shocked faces looked back at her, some glaring, some just staring in surprise. In the front row, Hibiki glowered at her, but remained quiet, sitting next to Mikoto and Daisuke. Mikoto nodded her head and smiled at Sakura encouragingly.

“Thank you.” Itachi acknowledged her ability to get the room under control and chuckled. “I’ll remember you can do that in the future.”

“No kidding. How did you do that?” Shisui’s whisper from her other side surprised her. He stood just behind them, clutching a paper bag with a slightly greasy bottom. When she glanced at it and back at him he mouthed the word lunch and tipped his head toward Itachi.

She turned back to the room when Itachi began speaking.

“Mother, will you join us?” Itachi stepped down to offer his hand to his mother and guide her to stand beside Sakura. “I’m sorry we didn’t have time to plan this. Tell me what the order should be.”

The people in the hall strained to listen as Mikoto listed the steps they had to take and when she was done Itachi nodded his head and turned back to the crowd.

“Thank you for being here to share this momentous occasion with me. It’s not what I would have planned, but,” he looked at Sakura with a smile and then back to the people, “I’ll make it up to Sakura somehow.”

The crowd filled with hushed whispers, silencing when Itachi turned to Sakura and dropped to one knee in front of her.

Sakura stared down at him. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected when Sasuke had offered to bring her to the meeting. At best she’d hoped she and Itachi could have a few minutes alone to work out a plan so they could stay together. A public proposal hadn’t been on her mind at all.

“You don’t have to do this, not here.” She leaned down to him, letting her hair fall forward to give them some privacy.

“That’s where you’re wrong. They need to see how far I’m willing to go to have you in my life.” His lips brushed her cheek and then he gently pushed her back to standing.

Tears welled in her eyes, a few tracing hot paths to her jaw before she could blink them back.

“Sakura Haruno,” Itachi’s voice rang out through the room, the silence broken only by one distinctly feminine gasp, “will you marry me?”

He held up one finger as her mouth opened to answer. “The life I’m offering you won’t be an easy one. It will be one of sacrifice and strife as my clan struggles to accept an outsider, but I promise you, I will be at your side bearing the burden with you.”

“I— I” Sakura swallowed heavily, excitement and terror running through her body, “I will.” Tears filled her eyes again, blurring Itachi’s sweet handsome face in front of her.

The hall burst into activity, conversation and outraged shouts.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this Uchiha-san,” an elder of the clan approached them, “and I’m not trying to be contrary, but the marriage must be sealed, a ring must be on her finger for this to be legal and allow you to take leadership legally.”

“I’ve got that covered.” Mikoto swept in beside them. “Where’s your lunch Itachi?”

Itachi frowned at her. “Lunch?”

“Right here cousin. You’re welcome.” Shisui pushed the crumpled bag with the greasy bottom into Itachi’s hands only to have Mikoto snatch it up.

She dug through the bag, producing two rice balls, which she handed to Itachi, bidding him to eat before he fainted from hunger, and a ring box. When Itachi had obediently eaten the food she’d given him she nodded her head at both him and Sakura and looked out over the room.

“As the current clan leader it is my honor to recognize the engagement of my son, Itachi Uchiha, to the daughter I’ve been waiting for all my adult life, Sakura Haruno.” She handed the box to Itachi who opened it to reveal a pair of simple bands, etched with the Uchiha fan all around them.

“Mother?” Itachi frowned at her.

“Hush and put them on. They were your grandfathers. I’ve been saving them for you for years.” She chuckled quietly. “And your father is probably rolling over in his grave.”


	19. Ahh Love

Itachi nuzzled his nose against Sakura’s head, darting his tongue out to trace the shell of her ear. He relished her giggled moan as she arched her back against him.

“Are you tired?” He whispered the words before proceeding to trace kisses down her jaw, twisting her around so he could kiss her.

The meeting last week had gone as he’d expected it to go, there had been hostility and anger, but there had also been calm acceptance of his decision. His mother’s preparedness had surprised him but in a good way. It had taken a few days of meetings for things to settle down, and of course the obligatory feast.

And now, they were back at Emi’s inn for some much needed private time. She’d laughed, telling him she’d been in on the whole thing from the start and he’d given her a hard time for all the fuss she’d made. But deep inside he couldn’t be angry at her. He might never have taken the chance if not for her push.

“I’m not tired, but I am hungry.” Sakura grinned at him. “Do you think Emi would bring us food without a fuss?”

Itachi rolled his eyes. “Are you willing to risk it?”

“Good point.” Sakura sighed and swing her feet to the side of the bed. “That tea house is calling my name anyway.”

“Sakura,” Itachi caught her arm, pulling her back to the bed with a frown.

“Is something wrong?”

He ran his fingers over the creases that lined her forehead. “I just want to tell you, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“For the trouble Hibiki and the others gave you.”

Sakura snorted. “They were just being Uchiha’s, really.”

“If it happens again,” he swallowed, hating the thought of his clan hurting her. “You’ll tell me?”

“I will.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “And you, if you worry about how I’m managing, you’ll talk to me?”

“I will.”

“Good.” She stood, stretching her back before she reached for her clothes. “Oh, and your mother, your aunt, and that elder whose name I can never remember?”

Itachi groaned. “Yes?”

“They’ve already asked when we’re going to have babies. They’re taking bets on hair and eye color, and whether they’ll have a sharingan.” She giggled. “Oh and Tsunade.”

“Well, if they start meddling, we will put them in their place this time.” He stood, pulling her into his arms to kiss her. “I’m done with the interference.”

She cradled her head on his chest. “Me too.”


End file.
